#it started as once sentence on my notes app

[trans-yllz]

1, 9, and 25 for the fic writer ask 😊

1. the last sentence you wrote

"He'd crawled scared under Jiang Cheng's blankets that night and, his brother, not yet poisoned against affection, had held him while they slept."

9. start to finish, how long did it take you to write the last fic you posted?

oh god, the last thing I Posted isn't finished yet, but I started writing it in the beginning of last december and it's still not finished. oops. don't you want to share the guilt, the last fic that got completely Done, took about 5 months 🤔

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

drawing/painting is a big one!!! I also love to be out in nature and look at the creatures :^) in theory I enjoy reading in practice when does that actually ever get done. I'd love to get into some kind of textile craft as well like embroidery 🤔

[kkuzushi]

hey! could you write genshin kinich + anemo boys when you go through their phone without them knowing because you think they're cheating/just wanted to check if theyre loyal but you end up finding nothing and they catch you? thank u eheheh

Anemo boys + Kinich catching you with their phone.ᐟ

⠀✦ cw : established relationship, fluff, hurt/comfort, self decapration, phone contents, genderneutral!reader, partially canon compliant – 3.7k words

⠀✦ additional notes : I’m not very familiar with Kinich yet but I did my best to portray him accurately! Reader is also seen as Lumine/Aether. Please don’t mind the timestamps as well. <3

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚HEIZOUᝰ.ᐟ

Ah yes, your ever loving, doting boyfriend. Heizou is known for his natural charms and affectionate words—it’s one of the reasons why you fell for him in the first place. While the two of you have set boundaries, you often wonder if his romantic side is only seen by you. Swayed by temptation and curiosity, you decide to snoop through his phone while he’s in his study. Surely that’s enough for you to find something, right?

Which is what you’d hope for—or dread for—however, as you open Heizou’s phone, you’re met with a candid picture he personally took. You told him countless times to delete it yet he never and even made it as his lockscreen wallpaper.

That should’ve been enough proof that this man is loyal, but who knows what else he could be hiding behind that lockscreen? You unlocked his phone, his homescreen wallpaper is still you but a different type of photo. This time, the scenery was also part of the image with your back turned towards the camera.

Going back on track, you start to tweak around his phone, looking to see if there’s anything off or suspicious.

After checking multiple apps—even a bit of his search history—you found absolutely nothing. You sighed in relief, but that relief was short-lived once you heard a familiar voice behind you.

“What do we have here?” Heizou hummed, peeking over your shoulder, causing you to jump and turn to face him. “Seems like I caught a thief red-handed.”

You chuckled nervously, quickly putting his phone down on the bed. “Heizou! How long have you been there?” You asked, attempting to pry away from your predicament.

Heizou grinned, crossing his arms on his chest as he leans closer to you, “Only the detective will ask questions, unless.. you want to do this the hard way?” His eyes glinted with mischief, hands preparing to tickle you before he tackled you down on the bed.

The two of you rolled around in the mattress—you trying to get away while Heizou just keeps pulling you back closer to him. Your laughter dies down to pants eventually once Heizou stops.

“Now, care to explain why you were snooping through my phone?” Heizou asks, his arms wrapped around your waist as your back is pressed against his chest.

“I just.. wanted to see if you’ve been doing things..” You answer vaguely, embarrassment creeping up on you after being caught just like that.

To that, Heizou raises an eyebrow. “Things? I do a lot of things—investigating around Inazuma, doing commissions with people, and most especially loving you.��� His response was filled with lighthearted jokes yet you can sense the reassurance he’s hinting at.

You smiled, turning around to face him, you pulled him to an embrace. “I’m sorry. I trust you, Hei. I just let my curiosity get the best of me.”

He reciprocates the hug, your head resting on the crook of his neck, “No, I’m sorry. I don’t want you overthinking because of my actions, sweetheart.” He says softly, his fingers carding through your hair. “Next time, please tell me when something’s troubling you.”

You nod as you leaned to his touch, the warmth of his affections already making you forget what just transpired.

“You’re not off the hook though,” He pulls away slightly to take a look at your face. “I sentence you to a full day cuddle.. and I’ll let you look through my phone more.”

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚KAZUHAᝰ.ᐟ

What’s there to doubt about this man? Even if you dissect him, you won’t even find a single flaw. It’s like the archons used their entire blessings to create the perfect being, and your luck must be out of this world to be his significant other.

But maybe that’s why you’re having doubts. He’s too good for you, at least that’s what your mind is telling you. The fear that Kazuha might find someone better.. it’s not an uncommon thought that lingers in your mind. Now that you’re alone, your eyes are glued to Kazuha’s phone. It’s just laying on the nightstand, calling your name.

Just five minutes—that’s all you need, after that, you’ll stop this nonsense and never look through his phone again. You’ve convinced yourself enough and finally took his phone.

The first you notice is the matching wallpapers you two have set—you holding your phone taking a photo of him, and the other point of view would be your lockscreen. Not only that, but his password is your full birthday. That should’ve been enough for you to put the phone down and join your boyfriend outside, yet you didn’t.

To no avail, you found nothing to support your distressful thoughts. Guilt washes your mind after seeing the contents of Kazuha’s phone. But hey, at least you were no longer overthinking—isn’t that a good thing?

Not really, especially not when Kazuha stood by the doorway, catching you in the act before you could put away his phone. The two of you locked eyes for moment until you looked away as he approached you.

“Dearest, what are you doing with my phone?” Kazuha says in a gentle manner as he sat down on the bed beside you. You don’t answer, afraid of what he’ll think once he found out about the truth.

Suddenly, you feel his hand on top of yours. “It’s okay, you can tell me,” He coaxed, voice as gentle as his touch. You sigh, meeting his gaze once more as you prepare to explain yourself.

“I’ve been scared lately,” You prompt, the words feeling much harder to let out than it’s supposed to be. “Scared that you’ll see me the way I see myself—that I’m not enough for you.” Tears start to prick out in the corner of your eyes but you blink it away as a lump forms in your throat.

Kazuha takes your hand, your fingers intertwining together like it was made for each other. “You’ve never been anything less than enough,” he says firmly before pausing, choosing his next words carefully. “You may not see it, but to me, you are the anchor that keeps me steady amidst the tides. I’ve written countless poems trying to capture your beauty, your kindness, your strength—but none of them do you justice.”

His free hand comes up to your cheek, wiping the tears that you didn’t realize began to fall. “Please don’t carry these doubts alone. I’m here, for everything—your fears, your insecurities, and all the things you think makes you unlovable,” He murmured, pulling you closer until your foreheads are pressed against each other.

You nod, closing your eyes to let the tears fall down on its own. “Okay. I’m sorry for doubting you,” You breathed, the heavy feelings in your chest finally wearing off after a long time of carrying them.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Kazuha smiles, his thumb caressing your cheek. “But if you ever feel this way again, talk to me. Trust me to help shoulder these fears next time.”

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚KINICHᝰ.ᐟ

Having a romantic relationship with Kinich isn’t what most people would think. It might seem like you’d spend your days chasing after him, waiting endlessly for scraps of attention while he remained cool and aloof. Many would assume he’s the type to keep you at arm’s length, making you endure his detached demeanor and patient silences as though his affection was a prize to be earned.

Well, it’s actually quite the opposite. Kinich values your time as much as he values his own, which is why he makes sure to finish the job quickly and efficiently to spend quality time with you. He’s the one quietly chasing after time itself, ensuring there’s always enough of it for you. Kinich treats you in a way that people would describe as “prince/princess treatment.” You are his top priority and he isn’t afraid to show it, not that other people’s opinion matters to him anyway.

While there’s no actual downside to being in a relationship with Kinich, the only thing that stirs unease is his job—or rather, the people he encounters because of it. As his work often brings contact with others, it’s hard not to let your thoughts wander. Kinich may show unwavering loyalty but you know how people are; they’re unpredictable. You can’t always know their intention thus, allowing your insecurities to take hold of your rationality.

As he excuses himself for the day, your gaze drops to his phone, left forgotten by the counter. Your rationality starts disappearing—one quick look wouldn’t hurt, right? Just to soothe your worries, and it’s not like he’ll find out.

Before you could second guess yourself any longer, you reached for his phone and unlocked it. Kinich’s phone requires a fingerprint to open but he has yours registered as well, so surely there wouldn’t be anything bad in there?

Just as you hoped for, you found nothing to support your earlier worries. However, it seems like you’ve used up all your luck as you hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Kinich had spotted you right before you could put his phone back to its original place and pretend nothing had ever happened. Your eyes widened and scrambled to put the phone away as your boyfriend stepped closer.

“What were you doing with my phone, sol?” Kinich asks, putting one hand on the counter as if to corner you. You looked away, contemplating whether to deny any accusation or just simply tell the truth. His finger taps on the surface rhythmically as if he’s counting each second your silence lasts, you can feel his eyes glued to your face even when you’re looking away.

Mustering up the confidence, you finally turn to him, “Okay. Look, I just wanted to look through your phone because.. I’ve been overthinking lately. When I saw your phone I was really, really tempted to look through it.” Your words hung heavy in the air, Kinich studying your expression after your answer.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No! I mean, no.. I didn’t find anything..”

Kinich pulled you by the waist, the sudden action catching you off guard once the distance decreased between the two of you. “Exactly, there was nothing to find in the first place,” he spoke calmly, his eyes holding steady contact with yours.

“I don’t want to give you any reason to doubt me,” Kinich continues, the reassurance rolling off his tongue like he knows exactly just what to say. “But I’d rather you tell me what’s bothering you than act on it like this.”

The man has a point, if snooping through his stuff becomes a habit, it’ll influence you to never communicate with him properly. You sighed, realizing the flaws of your actions. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Kinich’s gaze softens as he gives you a reassuring smile, “I understand why you felt the need to do it—but please trust me.” He gives a chaste kiss to your forehead before muttering, “And I’ll make sure there’s never a reason for you to question it again.”

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚VENTIᝰ.ᐟ

Venti has always been the playful lover throughout your entire relationship, it was never a big deal for you whenever he would go out and mess around with other people. Not even when he’s drinking, you almost found it adorable when he turns to a handful all because of his drunken haze. He made sure he kept that habit in moderation to avoid letting it get away in the relationship.

However, the mind is a stubborn place. As months passed by, you grew afraid of what might transpire when Venti’s not in the right state. You know what they say, drunk words are sober thoughts—maybe you just haven’t heard it because he’s said it to someone else. You fought and fought these thoughts until you found yourself with your lover’s phone in hand, because who knows? Maybe he’s already drunk texted someone while you’re unaware.

The thought is temporarily dispersed once you see yourself in his wallpaper—a picture of you, deep asleep in your shared bed. You smiled, but you can’t let a simple picture like that distract you. As you swipe through his phone, a passcode blocks you. Quickly, you attempted whichever comes to mind—his birthday, your birthday, yet none of it worked. But you know what did? The date of your anniversary.

Maybe this was a bad idea, but the phone’s unlocked now, so might as well carry on.

In all honesty, you felt like you got played in the most unexpected ways. His phone was full of ridiculous information that had no connection to your previous motiv. At least your curiosity was satiated.

“What you got there?” Venti beamed beside you, his voice startling you. Where did he come from?! Actually, how did you not even hear this man come into your room? Nevermind that, you’ve been caught red handed, his phone still clutched to your hand—even harder now that you almost let go of it from the fright.

“Venti! What are you– nevermind, I’m not even gonna ask,” You surrendered just as immediately, giving back his phone. Your face flushed from embarrassment, your boyfriend having the instincts of a cat despite being allergic to them.

Venti chuckled but pushed his phone to you. “You know, if you wanted to look, you could’ve just asked,” He says, wrapping his arms around your neck pulling you close until his head is leaning on your shoulder. “I have nothing to hide from you, windblume,” he whispers.

Your gaze softens from the unasked reassurance—the fact he can play around and set your mind at ease makes you remember why you fell in love with him in the first place. “I know that now. I’m sorry, dear,” you gently pulled him closer until the two of you were flushed against each other.

“What’s on your mind?” He asks, but honestly? You almost forgot about it all because of the contact. Still, you know Venti would just bug the hell out of you if you try to brush this off.

“Let’s talk about it later, I just wanna cuddle for now.”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here to listen.”

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚XIAOᝰ.ᐟ

During your anniversary, you gave Xiao a present—a phone, something he deemed useless but accepted either way. You didn’t mind at first, knowing it’ll take time for him to adjust with the advanced cellular device. It almost became a habit for you to daydream about the texts you’d someday receive from him—the constant typos, accidental calls, blurred images. Even if Xiao wasn’t one to talk so much, you know his inexperience with technology would give a good laugh.

Those wishful thoughts only lasted for a while, of course. Every once in a while, you’d see Xiao fumbling with the phone you’ve given him. You thought that maybe this is it, you’ll finally receive a few texts from him—but you never did. Your worries increased when your boyfriend’s attention was almost glued to the device. If he wasn’t using it to text you or maybe even show you what he learned, what else could he be doing?

There’s one thing you’ve noticed though. Xiao never brings his phone whenever he’s doing his duties. It occured to you that this may be an opportunity to sneak a glance and find out what he’s been up to with his phone.

Once you’ve gotten your hands on his cellular device, you went straight ahead with unlocking it—only thing is there’s no lock. You almost forgot Xiao isn’t that well versed with the mechanics of his phone, still, with the amount of time he’s usually focused with it? You’d think he already figured that out. Nonetheless, at least you don’t have to think of whatever passcode he might’ve come up with.

As you’ve opened his phone, you’re met with something shocking. His wallpaper is your picture. Are you actually seeing this correctly? How did he even get a hold of that? But then again, it doesn’t even look like you were aware that you were getting your picture taken that time. Xiao must’ve gotten this himself personally.

You almost went crazy with how little stuff there is to find in Xiao’s phone, except his photos. That was probably the only productive app in his phone, but other than that, absolutely nothing.

As you’re about to end your search for whatever you’re looking for, you noticed a figure standing in front of you just right behind the phone you’re holding. Looking up, you see Xiao.

“Oh my god!” You yelped, leaning back on the seat as Xiao’s appearance startled the hell out of you. “What were you doing just standing there?” You sighed exasperatedly, calming down the fast beating of your heart.

“You seemed engrossed with my device,” he says plainly though his eyes sparked curiousity. “Why do you have it?”

“I was checking something..” You mumbled, giving it back to him reluctantly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it without your permission.”

Xiao took the phone from you and paused. “Checking what exactly?” He turned off the device and sat beside you. He studied your expression—the way your eyes looked away, how you’d bite your bottom lip from nervousness.

“Were you thinking I’m being disloyal?” His question was so blunt, it felt like a punch. How could you even answer that? You didn’t even need to tell him anything yet he already knew.

“No, no! Not at all!” You quickly scrambled, not wanting him to think of the wrong thing. The wrong thing? Even you don’t know what that is now. “I was just.. conflicted. You never focused too much on your phone, so when I saw that, I felt.. bothered.”

Xiao visibly frowned at that, his eyes softening at your explanation, “You should’ve told me. Share your troubles with me, let me help you ease your mind.”

He gently took your hands in his, intertwining your fingers together. His eyes met yours, a rare warmth softening his typically stoic expression, melting away the worries that had been building in your chest. “And to tell you the truth…” he started, his voice quieter now, almost shy, “I’ve only been focusing on that device because I wanted to learn more about it.”

That much was obvious now, considering his wallpaper was a candid photo of you that you didn’t even know existed. “I’m aware of that now… I’m sorry for invading your privacy, Xiao,” you said softly, guilt evident in your tone.

Xiao shook his head slightly. “I know why you did,” he replied. “But do ask next time.” A gentle smile appeared on his face. “I’ll let you have it anytime you want.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his response, the tension between you both easing. “I don’t think I will,” you teased lightly, “unless it’s to teach you more about it.”

. 𐙚 . ˙ 𖧧 ₊ ˚WANDERERᝰ.ᐟ

It was actually unexpected for you to see Wanderer using his own phone. He’d often say he isn’t interested in it but then see him playing random games you wouldn’t find entertaining—but to each themselves, right?

That’s where the problem starts; the fact that Wanderer is pretty secretive with his own device causes you to rouse up different possibilities. Is he talking to someone else there? Maybe he got photos of other girls? Otherwise, why else would he deny you of taking a peek through his phone?

Since your stubborn resolve wouldn’t back down, you decided to take a quick detour around the few apps he has downloaded. However, Wanderer’s device required a face recognition to unlock. Being the genius that you are, you angled the phone to a picture you have of Wanderer.

It worked, obviously, not like that man changes his appearance everyday. Once the phone opened, a picture of you and Wanderer appeared, just the two of you goofing around. Maybe this is why he didn’t want you seeing his phone.

“Enjoying yourself there?” Wanderer’s voice rang out behind you, his voice laced with amusement. You couldn’t even celebrate after finding nothing, already caught by your boyfriend who’s leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed.

You turned around to meet him, imitating his pose. “You looked through every app, didn’t you?” He grinned, walking right up to you.

“Of course I looked,” you didn’t even deny it, you’re already caught in the act anyway. “You’re so secretive about your phone, it’s like a holy grail or something!” You rolled your eyes.

Wanderer hummed, amused at how you’re being truthful. “Did you find something scandalous then?” He teased, clearly just to get under your skin. “A hidden lover perhaps?”

You bit your lip, caught off guard. “I–well–no, not really,” you stammered, recalling the endless items that pointed to you. “But why hide all of that from me?”

He sighed and plucked the device from your hands. “I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal?” you echoed, frowning as you crossed your arms. “You’ve been acting so secretive about it, how was I supposed to know it wasn’t something shady? You made it seem like you were hiding a dark secret or something.”

Wanderer tilted his head, his expression equal parts amused and exasperated. “A dark secret? You really thought I’d have the energy to maintain something like that?”

He looks at his phone for a moment then back to you. “I hope you enjoyed yourself, though—digging through my phone, desperately trying to find something worth fussing over,” he drawled, his lips curling into a smirk. “Only to realize it’s just you. Everywhere.”

You scoffed, your eyes narrowing down at his smug expression. “Well, maybe if you didn’t act so suspicious, I wouldn’t have felt the need to check.”

His smirk widened as he leaned back slightly, arms crossing over his chest. “But at least now you know what I’ve been ‘hiding.’ Satisfied?”

You rolled your eyes, but a small smile tugged at your lips. “For now. But next time, just let me look, okay?”

“Next time, try trusting me,” he shot back, though there was no bite to his words.

“Trust goes both ways, Wanderer,” you said, raising a brow.

“That’s ironic,” he conceded, shaking his head with a small laugh. “If you pull another stunt like this, I might increase the security of my phone.”

“Like that’d stop me,” you challenged with a grin.

© kkuzushi | Please do not translate, repost, or plagiarize my work. This work is posted in Tumblr only unless stated otherwise by yours truly.

[iammclovinn]

je t’aime

summary: when fans start hate on you, isack defends you. (fluff & angst) (proof read & lowercase intended) (smau & requested!)

pairing: isack hadjar (6) x black!fem!reader

content warning: cursing, hate comments, racist comments, reader wants to break up (they don’t) lowk cheesy, make out sesh

note: ok so, first smau, i’ll probably do more when i have the proper apps (the fake texts and twitter apps) cuz rn the most i can do is the ig posts and comments. but lmk if you guys enjoyed!!

__________________________________

isackhadjar

liked by liamlawson30, youruser, and 40,876 others.

isackhadjar 3 photos for 3 years, je t’aime 😽😽

view comments

user1: ayo 🫣🫣

user2: wait, she’s kinda pretty for a black girl-

user3 user2: wtf??

liamlawson30: they’re so cute together it’s annoying

youruser: aww thxx, we know

user4 youruser: lmfao nvm, she’s a bitch 😂

user5: what is wrong with you ppl hating on her?? 😭

user6 user5: lmfao no literally, like get a life 😭

liked by youruser, isackhadjar, user5, and 167 others.

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__________________________________

you sigh as you close instagram and open your texts between you and isack.

7:24 pm

you : can you take down the post?

isack 🤍 : wdym? the 3 years post??

you : yeah

isack 🤍 : why??

you : isack can you pls just take it down

isack 🤍 : okay

isack 🤍 : i took it down, can you at least tell me why?

you : i think we should break up

isack 🤍 : ?!?!?!

isack 🤍 : chérie, where is this coming from???

you : do you not see the comments on the post??

you : “she looks pretty for a black girl” ???

you : you clearly belong with someone that your fans would like

isack 🤍 : what??? that’s bullshit i love you and want you. why would i want someone else?!

you : what do you even like about me? be honest

isack 🤍 is typing…

isack 🤍 : the way you’re always tired even after a full nights rest, the way you somehow remember everything i forget, the way you’re so stubborn all i can do is smile.

isack 🤍 : i’ll let you win a million arguments, but not this one. i love you and no one, not anyone, is gonna change that.

you : i’m sorry

you : can you come over?

isack 🤍 hearted a message!

__________________________________

the knock at your apartment door snaps you out of your thoughts.

you quietly get up from your couch, approaching the front door and unlocking it.

isack is standing on the other side when you open the door, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

“i was rushing to come over before it was too late, so i just got you the prettiest flowers i saw, i’m really really sorry if you don’t-“

his sentence was cut off by you crashing your lips into his, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him inside.

his wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you closer, the bouquet now forgotten on the floor

he breaks the kiss to look at you, hands holding your face, his pupils dilated, “tu es la plus belle chose que j’ai jamais vue” (“you are the most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen”) he says quickly before his lips meet yours once again.

you deepen the kiss, pulling him further in the apartment, hearing the door slam as isack kicks it close with his foot.

__________________________________

isackhadjar

view 5 more photos

liked by youruser, pierregasly, and 74,653 others.

isackhadjar “and you, you are the most competitive, most guarded, most stubborn, most challenging person i’ve ever met, and i love you.” 🤍🤍🤍

to the fans that were commenting on my beautiful girl looks, and saying she’s not good enough for me, you’re not my fan.

comments have been limited

youruser: je t’aime aussi 🤍🤍🤍

isackhadjar: bones and all?

youruser isackhadjar: i keep telling you that doesn’t mean what u think it means :/

liked by isackhadjar, user5, and 23,674 others

[foamingcleanser]

lucky

★ boyfriend!Nicholas x afab!reader

★ content: unprotected sex, creampie (for my first post? wow) and probably bad grammar and poor formatting idk this isn't properly edited and it's my first time posting i'll figure it out later (title taken from the song lucky by raveena) feedback is appreciated!

★ word count: 2.1k

you met Nicholas the way most people these days meet their significant others: online, kind of.

not a dating app, no, that would have been impossible. the way girls (and guys alike) would have flooded his likes, there's no way you would have stood a chance at getting noticed.��

still, online; your first impression of him was through his instagram page that you came across on a night of looking through your friends following lists to update yourself on who and who had broken up. you were prone to snooping, what can you say?

on his instagram (username wenoyixiang) there was a single selfie, posted with no caption, and a considerable amount of likes and heart eye emojis in the comments. he was gorgeous and obviously cool and nonchalant. the collection of your friend’s usernames announcing that they followed him made it tempting to turn the blue button grey but you strategically withheld.

some might call it internet stalking but after meeting him, you’d call it gravity. both of you, orbiting each other in mutual and close friend circles; people you may know notifications. it was only a matter of time until you met in real life. actually, it was all manifestation on your part (which here means obsessively staring at his one selfie for prolonged periods of time while imagining an elaborately curated life together, and showing up to every mutual friend hang out you possibly could of course).

and then, finally, the night you actually met at a party. sure, years of procrastination culminating into a firm belief that you only worked best under pressure might have had some influence on you. the pressure here was Nicholas’ smile and his laugh that commanded you to be the funniest, wittiest, and brightest person in the room; if only to direct his attention towards you. whatever it was, you had the opposite of performance anxiety, turning into someone much more outgoing than you typically were, that night. 

somehow it worked and he asked for your number in the kitchen once the party was winding down.

the rest is history (well documented in your diary and notes app).

-

“hi baby,” Nicholas whispers in your ear as he comes up behind you and breaks you away from your reminiscing with a start. your jolt makes him giggle and you smile at the sound, turning your face to be met with a kiss on your lips. 

“daydreaming about me?” he raises his eyebrows suggestively. 

“yes, actually.” you admit easily, turning to face him fully so you can appreciate how his expression turns bashful and steal the solo cup from his hand to take a drink of whatever he just filled it with. whatever it is, it’s strong and you grimace as you hand it back.

“a dirty daydream, very hot.” you cough on the tail end of the sentence and Nicholas laughs, loud and unrestrained and you know the warmth in your stomach isn’t just the alcohol. 

“easy tiger.” he teases, taking his own gulp of the drink with only relative ease before he lowers his head to whisper in your ear once more, “or we can make that daydream real.” 

the heat in your stomach becomes something heavier, making its way down and you fight the urge to let your eyes roll back at just the sensation of his warm breath on your neck. 

your actual thoughts hadn't even been naughty and yet somehow, your boyfriend was able to get you from 0 to 100 in .02 seconds. it really wasn’t fair. 

you didn’t want to be that annoying couple that stopped hanging out with their friends and ditched parties just to be alone together. but Nicholas made it really hard not to be.

oh well! (you weren't that torn up about it when it came down to it)

your hand finds the crook of his elbow and before you even have a fully formed plan, you’re pulling him down the hallway. thankfully, the party is crowded enough that your absence won't be noticed right away. 

“whoa, you’re in a hurry.” Nicholas laughs and the sound of the music fades more the further from the living room you get. 

“your fault.” you call back, only glancing over your shoulder when you reach the bathroom door, thanking whatever miracle left it unoccupied as if for this very moment. 

he laughs again as you pull him in with the same urgency you’d use to enter a bomb shelter. 

the lock of the door clicks into place and then your lips are on his and the party and whatever was left in his cup become only an afterthought as he drops it into the sink in favor of gripping your hips and hiking you onto the counter. your thighs spread like second nature to accommodate him between them; it’s wordless and easy.

from the beginning every interaction has felt like this - Nicholas moves and so do you. push and pull so natural like your orbit never stopped, you just came in closer. (he’s your planet and you’re his moon or vice versa.)

your tongue glides over his bottom lip and his mouth opens against yours in silent invitation,  moans rumbling in both of your throats the second the slick muscle of his tongue meets yours. every kiss is so hot, it feels like melting into each other; the line where you start and he begins becoming molten until you have to pull away for a deep breath and for your own sanity.

“fuck…” he mumbles between pants and you can hear his movements but your eyes stay closed for another second to let you reconfigure your thoughts. when you finally blink your eyes open, his are looking downward to where his hands are working, opening his belt. 

it takes a second for you to realize you should be moving too but after a kiss like that, it’s hard for the synapses in your brain to function properly. 

“what happened to being in a hurry?” Nicholas asks, noticing your stillness, his belt and the buttons of his jeans undone. his hands find your thighs and give a squeeze.

“sorry, i got dizzy” you finally answer, meeting his eyes and seeing the concern that washes over his face. 

“you okay?” he brings a hand up to cup your cheek, your face instantly leaning into his palm and a smile pulling at the corner of your lips. 

“i’m good. you’re just so hot, it makes me dizzy.” you giggle and it’s a little mean to play against the soft spot Nicholas has for you; the way he'd turn the world upside down to make sure you’re okay, but you like to keep him on his toes. 

the concern on his face turns to obvious relief and then he’s laughing too, nose scrunched when he leans in to bury his face in your neck.

“scared me.” he whines, muffled and warm against your skin, and the sensation reanimates your desire. you tilt your head back and let your hands find the hem of your skirt, thankful for the ease with which you hike it up onto your hips. you slide your panties to the side for good measure and you’d be embarrassed by how wet you are in any other situation but right now you’re just glad your brain can keep up with your body's urges.

“sorry baby,” you sigh and the way he turns his head toward you lets you know he caught the shift in your tone. “let me make it up to you.” 

Nicholas straightens and looks down to where you sit on the counter, bare and offered to him on a silver platter. if it were up to him he would sink to his knees and bury his mouth between your thighs until you had to physically pry him off. 

the sounds of the world outside the door remind him that it is, in fact, not up to him.

still, a quickie isn’t a bad consolation prize.

“you’ll need to make it up to me again, later, by the way.” he sighs for dramatic effect, already shoving his jeans and underwear down just enough to grip his length in hand, giving it a squeeze while his other hand holds your hip.

“i can do that.” you mean it but your voice waivers a bit, mouth gone dry and the promise of being filled by him topping the hierarchy of any other need you could possibly have. your hips wiggle forward a bit and Nicholas would tease you for your desperation if his own didn’t have his cock leaking onto his fist. 

“Nico, please..” 

he has to move quickly so he doesn't come at the sound of you begging for him, sliding his tip through your slick folds just for a beat before pressing to your entrance and stretching you out when he pushes in. 

“okay, baby… remember, breathe.” his voice is tight with restraint you know is for your benefit.

you’re wet enough that the slide is easy but sex with Nicholas usually takes place at his apartment and comes with at least three fingers worth of preparation before he’s inside you. this stretch is broaching on new territory. 

lucky for you, your horniness knows no bounds. 

you take a deep breath, half for show, and brace your hands on his shoulders.

“Nico, move. i’m good, i’ll be good.” you don’t sound half as good you claim to be, already breathless despite him just staying still inside you but it’s only because you need him to fuck you so bad you think you’ll pass out if he waits another second.

and because he’s your Nico, and he knows you, he gives you what you want.

his first few thrusts are still tentative, eyes trained so firmly on your face to watch for any lapse in your expression. but soon enough he’s building a quick rhythm, each movement pushing soft grunts from his throat as his hips pull back and push forward to meet yours.

“oh fuck- mmmh- you feel so good” he murmurs, breathy voice an impossible octave lower than his usual timbre and the praise feels like electricity going straight down your spine. any discomfort you felt at first has melted away, in its place a sweet pressure you recognize as the beginnings of an orgasm. 

“mm yeah- like that..” your voice hitches with every movement, the moans you can’t hold back slipping out and cut short by your inhales every time he bottoms out and hits that spot that makes your insides turn to jelly. your hands drop down from his shoulders to his waist, sneaking under his shirt just to feel his warm skin under your palms, as if you could will him closer with the contact. 

Nicholas circles one arm around your back like he's read your mind, hugging your body to his while hooking his other hand under the bottom of your thigh and hiking it up against your side so he can drive his cock in deeper. his face nuzzles against your cheek, lips pressing hot, open mouthed kisses anywhere he can reach while he fucks you stupid.

“oh my god…” your eyes roll back into your head, on the cusp of climax.

it may be your lack of experience in general or maybe your boyfriend has a hold on you so deep psychologically, that he’s found a way to pavlov you into orgasm with a magic word. you don’t know and, honestly, you don’t care. all you know is when Nicholas moans out an i love you against your skin, your whole body goes rigid and you come with a gasp.

the pleasure makes you see stars and galaxies, clutching onto Nicholas your only grounding tether.

your back arches until your head presses against the mirror behind your head, body writhing against Nicholas while he fucks you through your orgasm. it only takes a couple more thrusts into your pulsing walls until his pace goes sloppy and he finds his own release inside you.

the mess between your legs will be something you deal with later. 

for now, you cup his jaw and guide his lips to yours, the kiss slow and lazy in comparison to the urgency you shared when you first entered the bathroom. it feels like hours, time slows like honey now that you’re both sated. finally, you pull back to get a good look at his flushed face. he’s the prettiest you’ve ever seen him, lips kiss bitten and eyes dark.

“i-”

you want to say i love you back but you no longer have the time for that. a voice cuts through from behind the door and abruptly clears the fucked out haze between you two.

“you guys are fucking gross by the way!” you recognize Yudai even if his voice is muffled. Nicholas hides his face against your shoulder and groans. he’s never gonna live this one down. 

you can’t help the loud laugh that you let out, his hand coming up to cover your mouth a second too late.

you’ll make it up to him again (again) later.

[daxisyzz]

Hey!...I read your series and a few of your other imagines. I honestly, love the way you write and the plots too. I also read the desi one and it was so good. Good job on that, really. I'm an Indian too! My request is an imagine. A desi one ofc. So, the reader and Bucky have been dating for a while now and the Indian reader introduces Bucky to her family back home in India. It can also be like Bucky and the reader are together in India to attend a cousin or any relatives marriage Sounds really cool! It can be anywhere in India tbh. Although I'm from the south and I'm guessing ur from the north. Would be nice if u do this! Thank you!🥰

Hey! thank you for checking out my stuff. Idk if my writing made it seem if I was from the north but I'm actually South Indian too hehe. I actually had this same idea in my notes app and I included stuff from my language if it's ok. So here it is. Hope you like it<3

Inthandham

Pairings: bucky barnes x desi!reader (established relationship)

Summary: Bucky experiences his first South Indian wedding—and falls even deeper for you in a blur of jasmine, rituals, laughter, and love.

Word count: 1.6k+

Warnings and tags: South Indian wedding, culture and traditions, chaotic family dynamics, Bucky learning the traditions, him being mesmerised by the reader.

Three Days Before the Wedding

The moment you stepped out of the airport into the thick, sun-warmed air of home, a wave of scents and sounds hit you all at once—earth damp from a recent rain, the unmistakable sizzle of something fried at a roadside stall, and the background hum of auto-rickshaws and people bustling around with a purpose that never seemed to pause. Bucky’s fingers found yours instinctively, like they were reaching for an anchor in the rush of sensory overload.

“Home,” you murmured, eyes softening as you breathed it all in, a small smile playing on your lips.

Bucky tugged lightly at his sleeves, already starting to roll them up as he squinted into the brightness. “Definitely hotter than New York,” he said under his breath. “And louder too.”

You turned toward him with a grin, nudging his arm playfully. “You’ve barely scratched the surface. Brace yourself, soldier.”

Just then, a familiar car screeched to a halt in front of you, its horn blaring three sharp notes that were unmistakably your uncle’s version of a greeting. The car door flung open and he bounded out, arms already outstretched, and swept you into a crushing hug, rocking you back and forth as if you hadn’t just spoken last week on a video call.

Your aunt followed right behind, already mid-sentence, throwing a dozen rapid-fire questions your way in your language as she pinched your cheek with affectionate aggression. Then her eyes landed on Bucky, and her eyebrows arched in amused approval. “My, such a tall boy!” she exclaimed in your language, tilting her head up to assess him properly.

Bucky glanced at you with a look of wide-eyed panic.

“She said you’re tall,” you translated smoothly, smirking. “And probably wondering which gym you’re training at.”

He leaned in and whispered, “I can already tell I’m gonna need subtitles for this entire trip.”

You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll manage just fine.”

The back seat was a cramped haven of chaos—bright silk sarees in garment bags, a carton of ripe mangoes that perfumed the whole car, a small snoring child who promptly drooled on Bucky’s shoulder, and you, pressed close to him, heart quietly full.

By the time you reached the small town where your grandparents lived, nestled between lush green hills and clusters of red-tiled houses, Bucky was blinking through a haze of jet lag, trying valiantly to remember every cousin, uncle, and aunt who had introduced themselves in the span of ten minutes.

You handed him his bag and gave him a mock-serious look. “A few important things to remember—never say no to snacks, if you’re offered seconds, it’s not a question, and under no circumstance should you try to help Ajji in the kitchen. She will bite.”

He paused, raising an eyebrow. “Your grandmother?”

“She’s ninety-two, sharp as a blade, and absolutely terrifying when someone touches her ladle.”

“Duly noted,” he said, clearly both impressed and mildly alarmed.

Wedding Eve

It didn’t even take twenty-four hours before Bucky was unofficially, irrevocably absorbed into the fabric of your family.

One of your uncles had already claimed him as a future kabaddi teammate, a younger cousin was clinging to his arm teaching him how to say “Thumba chennagide” ( very nice) and “Oota aayta?” (had your food?) with dramatic emphasis, and your Ajji had somehow managed to rope him into trying all the food before he could realise what was happening.

You were sitting cross-legged on the shaded veranda later that afternoon, fingers expertly threading different assortment of flowers into long garlands for the wedding decor. The scent lingered in the air, floral and sweet. Bucky dropped down beside you, face flushed, hair tousled, and expression somewhere between overwhelmed and completely content.

“How’s the initiation going?” you asked, peeking at him from the corner of your eye.He exhaled slowly. “I think I just agreed to be someone’s cricket captain. Possibly two teams. I’m not entirely sure.”

You laughed, your bangles clinking softly as you reached for more flowers. “You’ve been officially adopted, then. You’re one of us now.”

Bucky’s eyes wandered across the front yard, where cousins were running barefoot on the stone path, dodging each other and laughing wildly. In the kitchen, the rhythmic clang of vessels echoed, while your aunties argued good-naturedly over which side dish was better. It was a beautiful kind of chaos—one he had never known, but already loved.

“This place…” he said, voice soft, “it feels like a hundred different versions of love all happening at once.”

Your fingers paused. “Yeah,” you whispered, heart caught in your throat. “Exactly.”

Wedding Morning

You woke before the sun, tugged into wakefulness by the soft chaos of wedding preparations that had already begun echoing through the house—the low hum of voices, the dull ring of temple bells, and the faint, rhythmic sounds of the nadaswaram in the distance. The muhurtham (the main marriage ceremony) had been scheduled for a sacred hour in the morning, long before the sky could fully brighten.

Bucky was still asleep, curled beneath the light blanket, one arm tossed over his eyes in protest against the dawn.

“Wake up,” you whispered, nudging him gently in the side. “You gotta get ready for the wedding rituals.”

He groaned and turned slightly. “It’s still dark. That should be illegal.”

“Not in this place,” you teased, already stepping into the soft golden glow that was beginning to filter in.

When he finally opened one eye, his entire body froze mid-movement.

You stood before him in a deep purple silk saree, the gold zari glinting in the early light like threads of sunlight. Jasmine flowers were woven intricately into your braid, your lips dusted in rose pink, your wrists wrapped in glass bangles that clinked like windchimes, you were covered head to toe in jewels looking like a goddess, and a small, perfect red bindi centered your forehead.

He sat up slowly, blinking at you like you were something he hadn’t quite expected but somehow already loved.

“You okay?” you asked, arching a brow.He shook his head slowly, still caught in the moment.

“No,” he said quietly. “I think I’m in love with you all over again.”

You blushed, laughing softly. “You haven’t even seen the wedding food yet.”

The mandapam was already alive with sacred sounds and color—the gentle tune of the nadaswaram, smoke curling from the homa (pyre), the aroma of ghee and sandalwood rising toward the heavens. Marigold garlands hung like sunlight from every rafter, and the priest chanted in a deep, melodic rhythm that reverberated through the air.

Bucky sat beside you on the floor, trying to appear composed in his cream-colored kurta and the slightly lopsided veshti that your uncle had helped him tie twice before giving up and doing it himself.

You leaned toward him, voice low and reverent. “That’s the kanyadaanam happening now—the giving away of the bride. And next comes mangalya dharana—the moment the groom ties the sacred thread around her neck.”

“All based on astrology, right?” he murmured.

You nodded. “Down to the minute. That thread he ties isn’t just any jewellery. It’s a symbol of the marriage itself—protection, connection, seven lives tied together.”

Bucky didn’t take his eyes off the ceremony for a long time, but eventually turned toward you, gaze softer than you’d ever seen.

“Would you ever wear one?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

You smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Someday. If the right guy comes along. Preferably one who learns how to eat rasam-rice without spilling it.”

“I’m working on it,” he said with a smirk.

Later, during saptapadi, as the bride and groom circled the fire hand in hand, Bucky leaned in again, eyes playful.

“So, seven steps makes it official?”

“Technically symbolic,” you said, tilting your head. “But yes.”

“What if I walked around you seven times right now?”

You smirked, eyes gleaming. “Then I hope you brought a mangalsutra, James.”

Lunch was served on banana leaves, and Bucky shocked everyone by sitting cross-legged like a pro and scooping up bisibele bath with his hands like he’d been doing it his whole life. Your uncles clapped him on the back, your ajji looked like she might cry with joy, and your little cousin climbed into his lap and refused to move.

“She says she likes you better than me,” you muttered, feigning betrayal.

“She’s a smart kid,” he said, shrugging proudly.

Ajji leaned over and squeezed your hand gently. “He looks good beside you,” she said. “It feels like he belongs to our home.”

You turned to look at him—his eyes crinkling at the corners, his smile soft and sure—and your heart clenched in quiet agreement.

“He does, Ajji,” you whispered. “He really does.”

Later that evening, as the noise settled into golden silence and the sun dipped into the hills, Bucky found you leaning against a pillar, barefoot, your saree edges trailing gently around your feet.

He reached for your hand, warm and steady.

“This day,” he said quietly, “it was incredible. I didn’t understand every word. But I didn’t need to. It all made perfect sense.”

You leaned your head on his shoulder, letting the peace of the moment wrap around you both.

“I told you it’d be a lot.”

He laughed softly. “It was. And I want more of it. All of it. The smells, the colors, the madness, your voice when you speak in your language… You.”

You tilted your face up, teasing, “You do realize you’re older than my grandmother, right?”

He grinned. “Still got better knees.”

You laughed, lacing your fingers through his. “Come on, mister. We've got packing to do.”

And the air, as always, made it clear—this was home, in every sense of the word.

[rigelmejo]

Here is how I've studied Chinese over the past 4-5 years.

Note: I cram studied a lot of hanzi, words, and grammar in the first year. I got a lot of 'review' by reading graded readers in Pleco app and just looking up words over and over until I learned them, and watching cdramas with english and chinese subtitles and looking up words in Pleco or Google Translate as I got curious. This is what worked best for me, because I cannot stick to something like anki long term - if you can stick to anki long term, then doing something like that regularly may have good results. I prefer to learn by doing what I want to do - which for me, was read.

I also started trying to read and watch shows in just chinese in the first year - which in retrospect was probably harder than I needed to do. After 2 years, I started mostly following Heavenly Path Notion Site's recommended materials (graded readers, easier novels for native speakers etc) and my life got much easier as I started reading Easier stuff more often, and harder stuff less often. I highly recommend beginners check out all the resources linked on Heavenly Path, especially in their Reading Guide and Listening Guide. I did a mix of extensive reading (reading easy stuff where I could guess unknown words from context - I might just read with a TTS to hear the word pronounced), and intensive reading (looking up every unknown word/most unknown words for it's translation in Pleco or Readibu app).

For Hanzi, and Reading:

Read about how hanzi work. I read all the articles I linked on this post about learning hanzi. It will help you in the future to know radicals exist, and to know what mnemonics are since a lot of learning resources recommend them for learning hanzi. I did not memorize radicals, but I did get a basic familiarity with the fact they exist and read over a chart of them once. Later as I studied hanzi, I learned the radicals more in the context of the hanzi they're in.

Downloaded Pleco app, and Google Translate, started looking up a word or phrase whenever I was curious, when I was watching cdramas. If you're watching shows, it's pretty easy to see chinese hard subs on many shows on youtube, and just look up a word or two when you feel curious.

I used this book, I just read through it in like 3 months, aiming for basic familiarity not memorization. Learning Chinese Characters: (HSK Levels 1-3) A Revolutionary New Way to Learn the 800 Most Basic Chinese Characters; Includes All Characters for the AP & HSK 1-3 Exams. I love this book, I credit this book to giving me a decent foundation in hanzi, the mnemonic stories in the book worked well for me, as did the example words. This book is often cheaply used, and can be found free in many libraries and elibraries.

Because I'm a lot, I kept trying to read parallel text webnovels on mtlnovel.com (it has a parallel text chinese/english option if you're logged in). I read some MoDu and some ZhenHun, and it was very hard. In retrospect I would have probably spent my time better with more graded readers, and easier webnovels after lol. I also kept trying to read chinese webnovels with Pleco's click-translate feature. It wasn't bad, I think it helped me a lot, but I did this all from month 1 onward. And it would probably have been easier to wait until I had built more of a foundation to do this.

I used a 2000 Common Word Ben Whatley memrise course which no longer exists, and cram studied 1000 words in a week then reviewed the next 2 weeks, then read some graded readers, and then the next month cram studied 1000 words and then reviewed the next 2 weeks, then read some more. I did reading as most of my actual reviews, because I don't like anki decks and I can't focus on them for more than a few weeks (as my study patterns show lol). I would recommend someone use the Spoonfed Chinese Anki deck if trying to emulate what I did, or ideally any common words chinese deck with audio and hanzi, and ideally in sentence examples. I'd recommend if you're cram studying words to just do 1000-3000, because you'll run into those common words a LOT if you're also reading and watching shows and looking stuff up. So you'll get lots of review of those 3000 words even if you stop using anki, since you'll keep running into those words. After the 3000 most common, it might be more useful to prioritize studying words as you come across them in reading/watching, and either keep looking them up until you remember them or put those in anki (if you like anki).

I started reading Graded Readers in Pleco app, with click-translations. Mostly Mandarin Companion graded readers with 300 unique hanzi or less, then 500 unique hanzi or less, because it was good review in the context of reading for everything I'd just studied over the past few months. I suggest checking out Heavenly Path Notion Site's Reading Guide whenever you'd like to start reading, a lot of good tips in there and a lot of resources I used too (like Pleco app and Readibu app).

I used this book as reference, Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters: A Revolutionary New Way to Learn and Remember the 800 Most Basic Chinese Characters Original by Matthews, Alison, Matthews, Laurence (2007) Paperback. I've flipped through it a few times, never fully read all of it, but another person may find use in it. I liked it as a reference. This book is also easy to find cheap used, or in libraries and elibraries free.

I went through about half of the following anki deck, just cram studying 1500 hanzi cards in a couple weeks, doing a week of review, and then 'reviewing' by reading stuff in chinese and looking words up again and again. It's a great anki deck for studying hanzi.

*Mnemonics - 3018 Simplified Chinese Hanzi deck (I recommend this deck, if I had to go back and do it again)

*Mnemonics - 3035 Traditional Chinese Hanzi (I recommend this deck, if I had to go back and do it again)

 *Mnemonics - 4143 Traditional AND Simplified Chinese Hanzi (combines the 2 decks above)

After learning around 1500 hanzi through a combination of reading the books I linked, reading graded readers, and using the anki deck I linked, I just kept reading and looking up words I didn't know that seemed important to the overall meaning of the thing I was reading. Just looking up words, again and again, until I remembered them. Which was usually 2-20 times. I started reading manhua, then webnovels, again see Heavenly Path Notion Site for their recommendations on reading material at different difficulty levels. I was also reading cdrama subtitles, usually with both chinese and english subtitles on, but once in a while I tried to watch a show with just chinese subtitles. I'd look up 1 word every 5 minutes or so, to let myself look up key words that seemed important, but not stop constantly.

Yes, my study consisted of a LOT of 'cram study for basic familiarity of something' then read and watch, and look things I was basically familiar with over and over until they stick and I learn them.

For Grammar:

I read through this grammar guide website's HSK Grammar lessons in like 1 month, not to memorize just to get a basic familiarity. I wanted an idea of the grammar I'd be seeing later, and an idea of what to look up more information about if I got confused later. https://www.hskcourse.com/hsk-grammar-exercises/. I did this in the first few months.

I looked up grammar points later, as I'd read graded readers or watch shows, on this website All Set Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki. I found the explanations on this site helpful. I kept doing this, and still do this if any grammar point in particular is confusing me.

If you want to use anki to study grammar, these decks cover similar material: *Chinese Grammar Wiki Study Deck(if looking for a full grammar guide I recommend this one, which so far has been the most well formatted version and links to the AllSetLearning Grammar points so you can easily do background reading when needed). Ole’s Chinese Grammar Wiki A1, Chinese Grammar Wiki A2, Chinese Grammar Wiki B1, Chinese Grammar Wiki B2 (all adapted from AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki site)

For tones:

I went through the Pinyin Pronunciation Guide and tone trainer on this website dong-chinese.com in a month. Then again a few months later, went through it again.

I also used these:

Maorma.net Minimal Pair Test (I used this in the past, focusing on minimal pairs might help?)

Yoyo Chinese Tone Pairs Chart (may help)

Yoyo Pinyin Chart (has sound for each tone, this may help)

Basically I used everything on under my 'tones' tag. Feel free to browse for more resources. Mostly it was a lot of youtube videos, and explanations. I looked up videos on youtube about tone sandhi, tone pairs, actual tone pronunciation etc. I really liked Grace Mandarin Chinese's channel, and recently I've found Julesy's videos very useful like this one about pronunciation.

For Listening:

So I really HEAVILY focused on learning to read. As you can see above. I have only started focusing on listening more as of this year. If I could go back and give myself advice? I'd suggest to past me to listen to graded reader AUDIO a few times, before and after I read something. To listen to audiobook audio, or at least Microsoft Edge Read Aloud to webnovel pages I'm reading, or at least Pleco Dictation audio, MORE. I barely listened to audio when I read. 3 years in, I finally started reading along to audiobooks or listening to TTS when reading - to get my reading speed to become faster. It did make my reading speed closer to speaking speed, and it also helped my listening skills a lot. I wish I'd done more listening overall, any time I'd read things. Or before/after reading things.

I would also have told past me to Please check out some podcasts for learners, and practice listening earlier. And to try watching a cdrama, just once in a while, with no subs including no chinese subs. Because I can watch cdramas now, but I have to rely on chinese subs. If it's JUST audio it feels 4 times harder to me, and that might not be true right now if I had just... listened more in the last 4 years.

Now? I am watching comprehensible input chinese lessons on youtube (I have them linked here), I've been listening to learner podcasts so the language is easier than stuff I'd read (also linked there as the podcasts listed on some posts), and I've been posting about everything I've been listening to on the tag chinese listening experiment. Which has mostly been audiobooks of stuff I've read before in chinese and english, because as established, I read way more than I listen. So listening to stuff I have read before, is easier than listening to something brand new. It's going okay. Progress in listening skills are steady so the study plan is working out I guess.

For Speaking:

I've done very little to practice this. I still need to work a LOT on it. I used Tandem and Hellotalk for a while to speak with language partners - and using language exchange apps and websites is probably a good plan if you like talking to people. I used a putonghua pronunciation trainer app that is 1. no longer accessible on US app store and 2. no longer has any of the free 'grade your pronunciation' resources I used it for originally. I like as alternatives the apps: ChinesePronunciation Trainer (super simple free setup to shadow and compare your recording to the original), and Ka Learn Chinese Tones (which I've been playing with but I'm not sure about yet).

I plan to shadow audio eventually, and then talk to people more again. I will try speaking again after I've gotten a lot more listening practice in, maybe my speaking will be better. Or it'll still suck. Who knows.

Writing:

Haha... hahahaaaaaaa..... one day I'll practice... In all seriousness, I practice this when I message people on language exchange apps and sites. When I plan to work on this more, I'll probably do a combination of write some journals and message people more again.

I can type pretty fine, because you can type with pinyin and I know what the hanzi I mean looks like so I can select it. I cannot write by hand. I used to be able to write ni hao and xie xie and wo. Now I'm not confident I could do that from memory ;-;

Below the cut is a list of some things I read and listened to over the years, with commentary that is totally cool to skip entirely (I was rambling). I think I picked harder stuff than I needed to at first, and I'd really suggest beginners check Heavenly Path's recommendations for beginners, instead of whatever I was doing (which was sometimes super difficult for me).

Stuff I read:

Mandarin Companion Sherlock Holmes

Pleco Graded Reader Butterfly Lovers

Mandarin Companion Journey to the Center of the Earth

小王子 (extensively read, doable but I probably should have picked something easier, I was really excited to extensively read my first story and it really built reading stamina)

天涯客 (intensively read 20 chapters)

真魂 (intensively read 20 chapters, did listening reading method with same 20 chapters, must have reread the first 20 chapters at least 4 times, also listened to the first 20 audiobook chapters 3-6 times each so I'm very familiar with the words in them, I basically kept engaging until future chapters in this book were 95% comprehensible or more so I could extensively read my print copy)

寒舍 a dmbj fanfic (intensively read 60 chapters)

镇魂 (extensively read the first 30 chapters of my print copy, and the extras)

秃秃大王 (intensively read, but it was close to my reading level so I was only looking up maybe 5 words or less per 100 words. REALLY recommend this story. Easiest thing I read that wasn't a graded reader)

大林和小林 (intensively read, 95%+ comprehensible I was just looking up any basic words I still didn't know, same author as the novel above, probably the BEST novels for beginners to read after graded readers, I found them recommended on Heavenly Path Notionsite)

笑猫日记 1 (intensively read, but it was near my reading level so I was looking up 5 words or less per 100 words, learned a lot of chengyu from this)

笑猫日记 2 (extensively read, extensive reading built up my readind speed and stamina)

寒舍 a dmbj fanfic (extensively read all 110 chapters, probably 95% comprehensible or more especially since I'd learned a lot of words in the early chapters from the first time I read it. Part of the time I listened to Edge's TTS as I read. Built up reading speed by listening as I read. Longest thing I had read and finished at that point, at over 100k words)

盗墓笔记1 (intensively read but it was close to my reading level so probably 92% or more words I already knew, first non-fanfiction I finished reading that was over 40k words)

盗墓笔记2 (extensively read except for a few specific artifact words of things they found in the tomb, first non-fanfiction novel I finished by extensively reading that was over 40k words)

盗墓笔记重启 manhua (extensively read all of it, super easy to read, very funny if you're into dmbj)

19天 (extensively read maybe 50 chapters? Cute, funny, super simple to read)

他们的故事 manhua (extensively read maybe 15 chapters, also very funny and cute and simple to read)

破云 manhua (extensively read 1st volume, I got a print copy, its a bit hard I mean even my copy has chinese definitions of some of the legal/crime terms at the bottom of the pages lol. It's doable to follow, probably because I'm used to crime mystery stories. I also watched the voiced version on bilibili so a little listening practice)

吞海 manhua (extensively read a few chapters, I could follow just like 破云, but I can't quite handle reading the books extensively)

烈火浇愁 manhua (extensively read 5 chapters, the historical bits were harder, the rest was fine. I felt comfortable extensively reading pretty much any manhua by this point. I'd love to read the novel version but I'm certain 烈火浇愁 and 残次品 are beyond my reading ability as of 3/2025, priest's novel 默读 which is a regular modern setting only became possible to extensively read 12/2024. So I don't think I could handle a sci fi setting yet).

半夜衣寒 dmbj fanfic by 夏灬安兰 (extensively read, I just really like this person's writing style, and their writing is easier than priest for me to read and just perfect for me? I really enjoy their plots. This author's fanfics are who I credit for getting used to grammar in long sentences and getting used to "intuitively" understanding it, and for starting to do those kind of reading inferences of what is implied but not explicitly stated. Such as picking up character moods from physical descriptions, rather than words about their mood, and picking up hints about the ghost cases that hint things about characters in the stories as parallels. And I picked up familiarity with a ton of common adjectives and 4 hanzi descriptives from this author).

If anyone were going to copy what I did, my suggestion would be: check out Heavenly Path's reading recommendations list, pick novels in gradually increasing difficulty. Their easiest recommendations are extremely doable if you've been using graded readers for a while, and know around 1000 hanzi/HSK4 vocabulary. I think I struggled with a lot of material that was more difficult than it needed to be, at times. On the other hand? I feel that me frequently switching between intensively reading something somewhat above my reading level, and extensively reading something at my reading level or slightly above my reading level, helped me increase both my comfortable reading level and my reading stamina/speed. I think a mix of harder and easier material definitely helped me push through plateaus and onto more difficult novels I wanted to read, and it's still the strategy I use to work up to harder reading material. I would also recommend: listen while you read SOMETIMES. READ without audio sometimes (to practice reading skills), read with audio sometimes (to match pronunciation to words and push reading speed up closer to speaking speed), and listen to audio without text sometimes (build listening only skills). I did a bit of all 3 activities, but I speny the majority of my time reading without audio... and now I have to work harder on my listening skills to fix the large dfference between reading and listening skills.

Stuff I listened to:

Lazy Chinese (perfect for beginners, also any other Comorehensible Input Lessons youtube channels, see Comprehensible Input Wiki for more channels)

Peppa Pig (doable for beginners)

Maomi Chinese (easiest podcast I've found)

Astroboy Chinese dub (I have a lot of reading skills, cartoons for 5-10 years old are perfect for me)

Tea Time Chinese (intermediate podcast, doable for me)

Talk to Me in Chinese (intermediate podcast, doable ish for me)

Dashu Mandarin (advanced podcast, I don't quite understand it yet)

The Untamed condensed audio

Guardian condensed audio

Ice Fantasy condensed audio

镇魂 audiobook (I'm familiar with the plot, so it's doable, I am waiting to continue listening until I finish 默读)

默读 audiobook (I sure love working on difficult stuff I'm into lol, because I'm familiar with the plot it's doable)

HP audiobooks (they're on the easier end and I'm familiar with the plot, I'm going to keep going and see how much I get from it)

Twilight audiobooks (they're on the easier end and I'm familiar with the plot, I'm going to keep going and see how much I get from it)

SCI audiobook (I'm only 2 hours in, hoping it'll be doable soon)

撒野 (I'm only 1 hour in)

[puriiinz]

POSTED | smau abby a.

VI; ROLY-POLY

a/n: i only had the time to write this out bc they closed the schools after an earthquake 😭😭😭

contains: yn being kinda insecure? meds mentioned once, mental health mentioned with a slight joke, cursing and dumb bitches leading eachother

masterlist | next

yn woke up in the least flattering way possible; face smushed up, drooling on her pillow and an ache in her neck that made her wonder if sleeping was even worth it. blinking a few times to get used to the light coming in through the blinds, yn reached for her phone on instinct.

the notification staring right back at her, as if it was daring her to even think about reacting, made her want to turn back time and never wake up. freezing after realizing what it was saying and who it was from yn sat up and read it again.

and again.

and a few times more.

and then she threw her phone down on the bed because she couldn't scream (her neighbors would kill her).

it literally didn't even mean anything. abby always tweeted absurd and cryptic stuff. she was the type to make a post about someone instead of subtweeting, then acting like she wasn't shading anyone. it was just abby.

but abby being 'just abby' wasn't apparently enough for yn, because she went back and read abby's tweet for the nth time. no one's name was there, but yn's name wasn't there either. nothing and nobody was tagged except for her stupid hashtag that she loved to use when she wanted to stir something up. it was vague, open ended.

but it was the timing that made yn suspicious.

no. nope. yn wasn't doing this. she was NOT letting fucking abby anderson live in her brain, especially before even having breakfast. she was stronger than that.

maybe not really though...

the second yn opened her front door to take the trash out, she nearly walked straight into ellie's big ass head.

again.

"what the fuck." yn said, stepping back.

dina just smiled sweetly, holding up a bag of muffins from yn's favorite bakery. this only meant one thing: they were plotting something and needed yn to think critically (and not get angry).

"we come bearing gifts!"

"and questions," ellie added. "mainly questions."

yn sighed but let them in, deciding to be a good friend (she wanted muffins) and she didn't want to be alone, just to think about abby fucking anderson all day. especially not about her smile. and that day when she got too close to yn on the couch. no.

"so," ellie started, plopping down onto yn's couch and looking at her phone for a second before locking it. "you saw abby's tweet, i assume?"

yn tilted her head "why would you assume that?"

ellie rolled her eyes. "because! did you see it or no?"

"what tweet are you talking about? did she manage to get cancelled because of her eating habits or something?" trying to play it cool, yn tried her best to look and sound confused.

"the one saying 'some blah blah so cute blah blah when confused'. ring a bell?" ellie asked while melting into the couch.

"yeah because half of your sentence being 'blah blah' really helped me." yn sighed, "but yes. i saw it," yn said reluctantly. "it's vague."

"sadly, you're right." dina said. "that's why we're here," sitting next to ellie and sliding a muffin towards yn she added, "we're going to figure out who it's about."

yn nearly choked on air. "can i ask why i, fuck, even you would ever do that?"

"oh my sweet baby shnookums... because we're nosy, remember?" ellie said proudly. "and abby never tweets shit like that, like she was mental hospital level insane, so i can confirm she doesn't like life that much, let alone appreciate it. she tweets about needing to shit or something."

"so? people can change, you know?" yn tilted her head.

ellie put her hand on yn's shoulder, shaking her head sadly, "she's on meds baby..."

yn just stared at ellie with her mouth open.

"so," clapping her hands, "who do we think it is?" dina asked, already opening her notes app like she was doing something completely logical and serious.

yn stayed quiet, hoping they'd jump to her first, for god knows why. she didn't even like abby.

they did not.

"what about mel?" ellie offered. "she's kinda dumb, no?"

dina hummed. "maybe... but i don't think abby even talks to mel that much. also, doesn't mel have like, a whole ass kid now? don't think abby's into that."

ellie sighed, "you're right."

"what about maya from the gym?" dina wondered.

yn blinked. "maya?"

"she's super hot." ellie exclaimed. "and she definitely has a dumb little sister energy."

"the sister part wasn't necessary..." yn mumbled.

"pretty sure she almost walked into a pull door twice last week," dina added. "that must be abby's type, right?"

yn was beginning to regret letting them in.

"i don't think it's maya," yn muttered..

dina looked at yn with a glint in her eyes. "you got another suspect?" making yn shrug, trying to seem chill. "just saying... it might not even be someone we know."

"or maybe," ellie leaned forward, trying to look intimidating. "it is someone we know and abby's just being sneaky about it." taking a bite out of her muffin, ellie leaned back. "like maybe it's me."

"you?" yn echoed.

"i don't know, i'm cute?"

"you also think there are six continents..."

"exactly! clueless and cute!" ellie grinned, pointing at herself.

"i don't- whatever. i'm still on the maya train, " dina said, staring at her phone like it was supposed to answer her questions. "abby said she was helping her with her like, squat form or something last week. that feels suspicious. also tense."

yn was starting to wonder if, maybe, she was the delusional one. had she completely misread everything? the tweets? the grocery store mishap? the way abby leaned into her? was she desperate for love? pfft. no way.

maybe it was maya. or mel. or ellie with her dumb continent takes.

maybe abby was like that with everyone. maybe yn had just misunderstood because of abby. not because she was desperate, or egoistic.

"okay!" ellie said, standing like she was about to give a powerpoint. "we need to find out who she's talking about. and we can't just ask her because she would just lie. so, we need to catch her off guard. set a trap, perhaps."

"a trap?" yn asked.

"yes," dina said with full confidence. "you'll-"

yn looked like dina had admitted to committing war crimes. "wait. me?"

dina narrowed her eyes at yn, daring her to object. "yes, you. as i was saying... you'll talk to her. casually. and slip in a question like 'oh, haha! so funny. anyway who were you tweeting about?' and then bam! read her face."

"that's literally just asking her." yn stared at dina.

"it's not."

"also- how am i supposed to know who she's talking about by reading her face? will the persons name get spelled out on her face or something?"

dina rolled her eyes. "can you just... i don't know, interrogate her?"

yn stared at them with confused eyes. "you want me to interrogate her?"

"it's not an interrogation," ellie said. "it's... journalism."

"derective work," dina corrected. "consider it for charity, but for two people... and you i guess."

yn buried her face in her hands. "i hate you both."

"you'll thank us when you're her maid of honor." ellie sing-songed.

yn threw a wet wipe at her head.

[csuitebitches]

Getting back into your routine

Fallen off your routine? Need help getting back? I’ve got you. 

Planning 

Plan your Get My Shit Together Day a day prior, not the day of. 

Make a schedule, but ease into it. 

For instance, whenever I fall off my meditation and working out, I always restart working out first. For three days straight, I only focus on working out, then the fourth day I add meditation. Easing into it feels better. 

So if you’ve got 3 habits that you need to restart, start them one by one. 

In your schedule, allocate a time for it. 

Note down what time you’re going to wake up, what you’re going to do, etc etc. Plan the whole day out and make it specific. 

2. The night of: Pre Commitment 

Studies have shown that pre-commitment helps you complete a task. 

What is pre-commitment? 

Let’s say I want to wake up early at 5 am tomorrow and work out. 

The night of, I’ll tell myself: “I’m going to wake up at 5 am and work out. I’m committing myself to this.” 

You don’t necessarily have to do this a day prior for every task, for instance, if you want to clean up your work desk after lunch. You can tell yourself before lunch or after lunch: “I’m going to clean up this desk and I’m committing myself to this task.” You simply need to practice pre-commitment before the task. 

I like to practice it the night before, and I chant it in my head or out loud before I sleep. I’ve noticed that pre commitment helps me wake up early and do whatever in need to. 

3. Use all the tools you need!

I know that if I have to restart my 5 am routine, the only app that’s going to help me is this godawful alarm app called Alarmy. 

I prep my workout clothes and videos the night before so that I have no excuses. 

I delete my instagram and social media so that I have nothing to scroll on. 

Make your life easier, use the tools and apps that will help this process. 

4. Stay consistent. 

If you’ve done it for one day, you can do it for two. Day 2 and 3 are normally the hardest of getting back into a routine, but once you cross the hurdle and reach day 6, you’re good to go. Take a rest day on Day 7, if you need to. But make sure that Day 8, you’re back to it. 

Affirmations help me stay focused too. I have a list of 30 affirmative sentences on my phone and I practice them in the mirror at night and in the morning. One of my mentors had recommended I do this - I will get into her learnings later - and it definitely helps.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Stuck in Planning Stage of Writing

Anonymous asked: Do you have any advice on how to get out of the planning stage and more into the doing stage of writing? I’m up to my ears in notes for scenes and fragments of dialogue between characters. I know where I want to go with the story, I’ve even written a handful of scenes when the ideas come to me, but now that I have this lump of thoughts I need to start organizing and placing them all in their rightful spaces. The one thing I truly know is how much I’d love to see this through. Do you have any advice for a girl who’s unwittingly made herself stuck with a puzzle?

[Ask edited for length]

Planning a novel can sometimes be like digging a really deep hole for a specific purpose, then suddenly realizing you've stranded yourself at the bottom of the hole without a ladder. You've spent so much time digging the hole, you'd like nothing more than to get out of the hole and move forward with whatever project required you to dig the hole in the first place. There's just one problem: you can't teleport yourself out of the hole. You have to climb... or, ideally, build yourself a ladder to climb out with whatever materials are available to you.

That's probably where you are right now with your story. The hole you've dug was necessary, and it's good that you dug it, but as much as you'd like to just magically leap out and write your story, you can't do that. You have to build yourself a ladder to climb out of the hole first. So...

My go-to emergency "get out of the planning hole I've dug myself into" ladders are timelines, scene lists, and outlines.

Timelines: Your story may take place over a single day or several centuries, but either way, time flows in your story. All of those notes and fragments of dialogue and partial scenes are moments or events that happen within the time frame of your story. So, plotting those moments and scenes out on a timeline--according to when they need to happen--is about the easiest way to break your story down into its existing pieces and to see what's missing/where.

There are lots of ways you can format a timeline, such as a table, a list, a horizontal timeline, calendar, or a roadmap timeline. My go-to is a basic two-column document where the left column is date/time and the right column is the moment/event. There are also apps and online tools that will help you build a timeline in various formats.

Horizontal Timeline:

Calendar Timeline:

Table Timeline:

More info: Making a Timeline for Your Story Scene Lists: Stories are made up of scenes, so a list of those scenes is another great way to organize the events of your story. You may even find that creating a scene list is easier after making a timeline, because a timeline may help you see where certain moments or events need to be their own scenes and which can be combined together into a single scene. Just like timelines, scene lists can be as simple or complex as you want to make them. Once again, my go-to is a simple two-column document with the left column for the scene number and the right column for the scene summary, preferably just a sentence or two. Ultimately, once I have my rough timeline and scene list done, I usually combine them into one multi-column document along with my story structure beats.

Table Scene List with Beats:

Complex Scene List/Timeline/Beat Sheet:

More info: Scene Lists

Outlines: Outlines can be really any format you want them to be, and some people count timelines and scene lists as their outlines. My go-to outline is just an exhaustive beginning to end summary of everything that needs to happen. Sometimes, just working through your story from beginning to end can be the best way to make sense of all those disparate pieces you've been piling up.

More info: Guide: How to Outline a Plot Story Structure: Finally, I want to talk a bit about story structure templates like Save the Cat Writes a Novel!, Larry Brooks story structure, seven point story structure, etc. Story structure templates can be a really great way to make sure you're hitting all the right story beats--almost like a road map through your story. It's just important to know you do not by any means have to stick to any particular story structure exactly. Use it as a guide, take what works, leave what doesn't, and don't panic if your beats don't fall exactly where it says they should. As long as your story is working, that's what matters. Some writers even like to frankenplan their stories using a variety of different structure templates.

More info: Creating a Detailed Story Outline (story structure)

Once you finally have a roadmap for moving forward, whether that's a timeline, scene list, outline, or all of the above, you know you're ready to start writing!

Final note: I just want to add that planning isn't for everyone. Some people are discovery writers who let their stories work themselves out as they go. The above is just meant for people who are planners, who have done a lot of planning, but need to pull that planning together into a cohesive, organized document. And... if you have all of the above and still find yourself unable to start, you might find help in the links below. Happy writing! More help:

Beginning a New Story Figuring Out Where to Start a Story Deciding How to Open Your Book How to Move a Story Forward Trouble Getting Started Have Plot, Can’t Write

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

LEARN MORE about WQA

SEE MY ask policies

VISIT MY Master List of Top Posts

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[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 3

Identifying Limiting Beliefs

Hey Goddesses! Today we're going to talk about something that might be holding you back without you even realizing it, those sneaky limiting beliefs that like to camp out in our minds. You know, those little voices that whisper "you're not good enough" or "you'll never be able to do that"? Yeah, those ones. I've been there too, and I want to share some things I've learned along the way.

First off, what exactly are limiting beliefs? Think of them as those stubborn thoughts that pop up whenever you're about to try something new or chase after a dream. They're like those well-meaning but overly cautious friends who always tell you to "be realistic", except they live in your head rent-free.

Think of your mind like a garden. Some thoughts are like flowers that help you grow, but limiting beliefs? They're like weeds that can take over if we let them. Today, we're going to do some gentle but necessary weeding.

The Beliefs Audit

Grab your journal or open your Notes app (seriously, do it right now, I'll wait!). Let's start with a simple but powerful exercise. Complete these sentences honestly:

"I can't achieve my dreams because..."

"I'm not good at..."

"I'll never be able to..."

"People like me don't..."

"I'm too ___ to..."

Notice any patterns? These are your limiting beliefs showing themselves. And hey, recognizing them is already a huge step forward!

Where Do These Come From? Take a moment to think about when you first started believing these things. Maybe it was:

Something someone said to you long ago

A past experience that left a mark

Messages you absorbed from family or society

Past failures that you're still carrying

Understanding the source helps us see these beliefs for what they are: stories we've been telling ourselves, not unchangeable facts.

The Belief Breaker Challenge

Here's a powerful truth: just because you've thought something for a long time doesn't make it true. Let's try something: Pick one of your limiting beliefs and ask yourself:

Is this absolutely, 100% true?

What evidence do I have that contradicts this belief?

Would I say this to my best friend?

How might my life be different if I didn't believe this?

The Belief Makeover

Once you've spotted these limiting beliefs, it's time to give them a makeover. For every limiting belief you've identified, write down an alternative perspective. For example: Instead of "I'm too old to start something new" Try "My experience gives me unique advantages in learning new things"

Take each limiting belief you wrote down earlier and write its opposite. Feel resistance? That's normal! We're challenging thoughts that might have been with you for years.

Here's your action plan for today:

Choose ONE limiting belief to work on first (don't overwhelm yourself!)

Write it down

Write your new, empowering belief

Each morning this week, read your new belief out loud

Keep a small note in your phone of evidence that supports your new belief

Take one tiny action that proves it wrong, for example, maybe you've always believed you're "not creative", try doodling for five minutes today

The Permission Slip

Here's something fun: Write yourself a permission slip. Seriously! "I, [your name], give myself permission to believe that I am capable of [whatever you're working toward]." It might feel silly, but sometimes we just need to give ourselves explicit permission to believe in our potential.

Remember, gorgeous, your limiting beliefs are not facts. They're not your destiny. They're just thoughts, and thoughts can be changed. It takes time and practice, but every time you challenge a limiting belief, you create space for something better to grow.

You might be surprised at how many doors start opening once you begin questioning these old beliefs. And hey, if you're reading this and thinking "This won't work for me", congratulations! You've just caught your first limiting belief in action!

What limiting belief are you ready to let go of? Drop a comment below, sometimes just naming it publicly takes away some of its power. And, you might find others are working on the same things.

See you tomorrow for Day 4 of our journey to become our best selves before 2025!

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[archivallyminded]

How They’d React When You Call Them “Babe” for the First Time

aka that moment when their brain short circuits and they fall a little harder

💼 Winters

You: “Babe, can you pass me the salt?”

His Reaction: Blinks exactly once.

Brain: “That’s… new.”

Externally: Stoic. Internally: Alarm bells + fireworks.

You catch him pausing mid-reach like he’s buffering.

Hands you the salt. Quietly says, “…Of course.”

New daily routine: Casually rehearses saying “babe” back in the mirror but doesn’t actually use it until two weeks later. Still makes it sound unnatural, but the attempt was there.

🥃 Nixon

You: “Thanks, babe.” His Reaction: Does a literal double take.

Smirks instantly like he’s been waiting for this exact moment.

“Ohhhh. So we’re at that level now, huh?”

Absolutely says “babe” 45 times that week just to mess with you. “Babe, we’re out of wine.” “Babe, let’s run away.” “Babe. Babe. Babe.”

You threaten to revoke his babe privileges. He fakes a heart attack.

Secretly: Saved your first “babe” text in his Notes app under “Reasons to Stay Alive.”

😐 Speirs

You: “Looking good, babe.”

His Reaction: Stops moving like a command was issued. Turns. Looks at you. No expression.

You panic slightly. “Too much?”

He steps into your space. Dead serious.

“Don’t say that to anyone else.”

Kisses you so hard you grow weak at the knees and have to hold onto him to keep from keeling over.

Later that night: “Say it again.”

Summary: 0% blush, 100% dominance.

But secretly rewatches security footage (Yes, he has cameras) of you saying it.

📱 Luz

You: “Ready to go, babe?”

His Reaction: Collapses like you shot him in the heart with a Nerf gun.

“You just called me babe. BABE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

Spins in a circle, yells “I HAVE PEAKED.”

Now calls you every term of endearment known to man.

“My moonlight. My moth. My macaroni.”

Won’t stop singing “You Belong With Me” for three days until you actually hit him with a Nerf gun or the nearest soft object.

Emotionally: Has changed his contact name in your phone to “Babe Supreme.” Without asking.

Brags to Babe that he's taken over his name.

🎧 Malarkey

You: “Let’s go, babe.”

His Reaction: Stops chewing.

Eyes go wide. “Did you—was that—was that for me?”

Trips over his own shoelace 3 seconds later.

Blushes for 15 minutes and grins like an idiot for the next hour.

“You sure? You sure I can be your babe?”

Starts signing every note with “– your babe 🧡”

Life goal unlocked: Becomes a babe worth bragging about. Tells Luz and immediately regrets it.

🍺 Buck Compton

You: “Relax, babe.” His Reaction: Leans back, smirks like you just handed him a trophy.

“Babe? Babe.” “So I’m your babe now, huh?” “You sure you can handle that kind of commitment?”

Winks so hard you forget how breathing works.

🥺 Babe Heffron

You: “Hey babe." It takes him a second from looking at you to realize you meant it as a term of endearment, and not his nickname.

His Reaction: Freezes.

Face turns the same color as a ripe tomato.

“D-Did you just call me babe? Like, not Babe, but BABE???"

Starts smiling but tries to hide it behind a hoodie sleeve.

Whispers “babe” to himself for the rest of the day. Immediately texts the group chat saying "They called me babe."

Luz being the first one to respond: "Hate to break it to you, kid, but that's your name."

🗡️ Liebgott

You: “C’mon, babe, I’m serious.” His Reaction: Freezes mid-sentence. Blinks once.

“What the hell did you just call me?”

Voice cracks slightly. You pretend not to notice.

Looks away, shrugs. “Yeah. Whatever. You can call me that. If you want.”

Five minutes later he mutters, “Sounds good when you say it, that’s all.”

Refuses to use the word himself for a month. Then one night while you're falling asleep: “Night, babe.”

Voice low. Heart exposed.

📚 Webster

You: “Can you pass me that, babe?” His Reaction: Visibly chokes. Like, air caught in throat, glasses slipping kind of choke.

“Did—was that for me?”

Tries to stay smooth, fails completely.

Writes the moment down in a journal with the header: First Time They Called Me ‘Babe’ – 11:37 a.m. Starts calling you “babe” ironically. Then… sincerely. Then constantly. Conclusion: Overanalyzes it. Romanticizes it. Dies happy every time you say it again.

💥 Joe Toye

You say it like it’s normal. “Pass me the keys, babe.”

He freezes. Mid-motion. Looks at you like you threw a punch. “…W-What'd you just call me?” You laugh. “Babe.” He actually flushes deeply. Then stares at the wall for a second like it betrayed him. Then: “Say it again.” You do. “Jesus Christ. You’re gonna kill me.” For the rest of the day, he’s gruff, flustered, softer.

If someone else hears you say it? He grins like he just won the Super Bowl.

🐕 Bill Guarnere

You drop it casually: “Babe, your coffee’s getting cold.”

His head SNAPS around. Like you just proposed with your eyes. “Wait—what’d you just say?” You: “…Babe?”

He immediately starts grinning. Real shit-eating, smug Guarnere™ grin.

“Oooh, you said it. You can’t take it back.”

“That’s it. You’re stuck with me now.”

Starts calling you "babe" in return, aggressively, nonstop, like he just unlocked a new power. “Hey babe.” “Where’s my babe?” “Babe, you look hot when you boss me around.”

But if you ever say it low, tired, soft, “thanks, babe," he kisses you so gently it breaks your heart.

[kaciidubs]

Fine fine FINE ILL REQUEST SINCE YOU STOPPED BEING A MIND READER!!!!!!!

Ahem

Seungmin. Crying(yk the type). A rose toy😊

A Rose Without Thorns

Note: I never stopped being a mind reader, I just wanted the words come from your mouth~

❣ Summary: Seungmin stumbles across something unexpected and decides to have a little... fun. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 1.6K ❣ Warnings: Mean Dom! Seungmin, Sub! Reader, smut, edging, unprotected sex, squirting, creampie, slight pet play [Reader is Seungmin's Puppy/Mutt], allusions to blanking out, overstimulation, slight fluff, slight humor ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: Seungmin is referred to as Minnie and Master, Reader is referred to as Pup, Puppy, Mutt, Pretty Puppy ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist

It was a mistake, a huge, huge mistake.

A genuine accident, truly - how were you supposed to know that he would find your sex toy on its charging stand out in the open in your bedroom? He was only supposed to go in there to take back the hoodie you stole from him, a quick in and out job that didn’t even involve looking at your nightstand - yet, that’s exactly what he did.

“Puppy?” He called from your bedroom, his curious voice carrying easily through your home.

“Yeah?” You nonchalantly echoed back as you scrolled through an app on your phone, waiting for him to return so you two could start your long awaited movie night. “Can you find it? I swear it’s in my closet, I washed it two days ago!”

There was a beat of silence, and you seriously considered the thought that he had gotten lost trying to do such a menial task until you heard his heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

“What’s this?”

Eyebrows furrowing, you dragged your attention from your phone, “What’re you talking abou-”

There, held in his hand like some form of incriminating evidence of your own self pleasure, was your pink rose slit sucker.

A wave of heat rushed over you as you scrambled to sit up straight, your phone falling to the couch in your haste. “Seungmin! Why the hell-”

“You left it out,” he deadpanned, though you could see the spark of humor shining in his dark eyes, “did you expect me to just ignore it? Or, is this your way of telling me something?”

“I- You- I-It was charging! What kind of message could I be sending that I couldn’t just tell you to your face, Minnie?” You tried your damnedest to ignore the heat pricking your skin into a light sweat, ignoring the faint memories of your sacred nights with the sinful toy between your legs, now currently being held by the man whose name claimed each and every one of the orgasms it brought you in his absence.

A light hum danced past his pink lips as he inspected the small toy, turning it curiously in one hand before bringing his thumb to the silicone stamped power button - the sound of subtle vibrating nearly making a moan fall from your mouth, the clench of your cunt going embarrassingly unnoticed by you.

Pavloved, of course, that silicone mother fucker.

It was almost as if the brunet could sense the change within you, his gaze shifting from the vibrating toy to your widened eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips as he held the power button to end the flow of charge.

“Let’s raincheck the movie night, Pup,” a devious grin parted his smirk, his head tilting as he stared at you through his bangs, “I know something else we can do together.”

It was a mistake, a huge, huge mistake.

A positively blissful mistake that had you laid on your back, stripped of your cozy attire with your legs parted, the space occupied by your boyfriend and your most treasured toy - now turned traitor in the fingers of your lover.

You writhed as he held the suction directly on your puffy clit, the vibrations now bumped to the fifth pattern the toy offered; signifying the number of potential orgasms he successfully kept you from falling over.

“Minnie! Minnie, please, baby - j-just this once? Can I? C-Can I-” The ability to make full, concise sentences was lost upon you following the third canceled orgasm, and the use of your brain for any critical thinking was shot after your fourth.

Seungmin remained silent, enamored by the way your glistening pussy clenched and fluttered around nothing, begging to be filled with whatever he was willing to offer, whatever could get you to that high dangling right before your lust-fogged eyes.

“Seungmin!”

Pulling the rose from your clit, he didn’t bother to hide his laugh of satisfaction as your thighs shook against his sides, snatching away yet another orgasm from your needy cunt.

“You must be really desperate for it, mutt - almost thought I’d let you sneak past me with that one, huh?”

Tears of exhaustion, pure desperation, and need stung behind your eyes; you could hear your heartbeat in your ears, feel electricity licking at your nerve endings and tingle at your fingertips, at this rate, you weren’t sure if you even wanted your orgasm at this point - so strung out that each flutter of your walls sung with overstimulation.

“Minnie, I-” your voice cracked, bottom lip pouting as you looked down at him, “I’m sorry - I didn’t.. I shouldn’t have-”

“What? Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?” He scoffed, showing off the arousal coated device in his hand, “You’re sorry for showing this thing off like a trophy? Taunting me with the fact that it makes you come on nights where I’m not available to you? Are you sorry for being a horny, impatient little mutt who needs her clit played with at the thought of her Master?”

A spark of electricity shot down your spine from his words, your pussy clenching dangerously as your eyes rolled, your sanity slowly slipping away as you nodded vehemently.

“Y-Yes, yes! I-I’m so needy for you, Master, c-can’t get you out of my head - your lips, your t-touch, your cock, need it in me always.”

He ran his free hand through his hair, his bare chest puffing with pride at your admission, at your obedience, at your submission.

“Yeah? You’re just that whipped for my dick, huh, mutt? You think you deserve it now?” His hand then trailed down his slightly sweaty torso to his dick - hard and leaking, yearning from attention ever since you took your clothes off. “Should Master finally give you what you’ve been craving?”

Another round of rushed nods, growing slightly dizzy from the repeated motions, “Please, Master? I promise - won’t touch myself, won’t use the toy without you, I’ll be good! I’ll be your good puppy!”

Maybe that was the final course correction he needed, or maybe he had a change of heart, but the minute he lifted himself onto his knees to shuffle closer to your body, you wanted to cry tears of joy.

“You don’t get to play with this pussy without begging me first, understand, mutt?” He gritted, hunching over your body to grind against your sopping pussy, drawing a loud whimper from your throat. “It’s mine, you’re mine.”

“I-I’m yours! Only yours, Master!” You mindlessly parrotted back, brain melting at the feel of the tip bumping against your clit.

His hips angled down, allowing the head to catch at your slit before he pressed forward - slipping into your pussy with an ease that should’ve embarrassed you; granted you could vaguely sense your own arousal in a cooled path along the curve of your ass cheeks.

“Fuck - you’re close, aren't you? I can feel it.”

You tangled your hands in the sheets underneath you, the feel of the cotton being the only thing tethering you to consciousness.

“Alright, mutt, you better make it count.”

That was your only warning before he set a bruising pace, the tops of his thighs slapping against yours in a rhythm that would put most songs to shame - body holding himself over you by his hands planted at either side of your head.

“S-Shit! Yes! Yes! L-Like tha-” Your high pitched praise melted into a near scream as he lifted himself on an inward thrust, sitting up and sending his cock slamming into your g-spot.

One hand sliding to your hip, he angled your hips up before continuing his brutal pace, instinct and memory knowing exactly where and how to fuck into you to get you crumbling just the way he needed.

The room filled with obscene sounds and intelligible words, your mind going blank with only one word echoing in the recesses; Come.

Just when you thought you had the green light, the permission to finally topple over that hill on your own terms, a familiar sound shot through the loud ringing in your ears, then-

“Fuck! M-Master! M- Ah-!”

He held the rose firm to your clit, a wild fire raging behind his brown irises as he watched your body thrash against the mattress, a light grit clenching his jaw as he fucked you through your overstimulation.

“Come, mutt, come and remember that this toy is nothing compared to me.”

It felt like you were suddenly submerged under water, any and all sounds blocking themselves as your back arched damn near demonically - were you even breathing still?

Seungmin growled out a curse, hips stuttering against the unrelenting grip your pussy had on him and trapping him into an orgasm of his own - though, the grip didn’t last long as he was pushed out, followed by a rush of your orgasm squirting out of you in quick bursts.

The first thing to return to you was your sense of hearing, the loud thudding of your heartbeat giving way to the loudness of your own breathing, before you were able to refocus on the white ceiling above you.

“Puppy? My darling puppy? Can you hear me?”

A soft touch to your hand, familiar, warm, you tried to hold onto it but your arms felt too heavy, your fingers barely giving a twitch from your efforts.

“It’s okay, rest up - I’m gonna get you a washcloth, yeah? You did great, my pretty puppy.” He carefully leaned over you to press a kiss to your forehead before crawling his way off of the bed and into the ensuite bathroom.

Cleanup was fast, a towel laid in place over the ruined sheets for the time being, and he gently scooped you into his arms, pressing gentle kisses across your face which you happily accepted.

“You okay, Pup?” He hummed softly, noting the dazed look still glazing your eyes.

“Mhm… Just… Just wanna lay here… With you.”

A soft laugh vibrated through his chest and he squeezed your body closer to him softly.

“We can lay here forever, I got you, Puppy.”

[greenandsorrow]

Luke Danes with a greek!costumer~

headcanons

purely self indulgent

It's just little scenarios and lines I collected from daydreaming on the bus (notes app supremacy).

🐚 You had paused for a moment, the first time you had entered his space -taking in the rustic charm of Luke's Diner... The worn wooden tables, the chalkboard menu, the faint aroma of coffee and pancakes.

It was nothing like the cafés back in Greece, with their open terraces and endless supply of frappé, but it had its own appeal.

Cozy. Grounded.

Luke had glanced up from the coffee pot he was refilling, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"New in town? A tourist?"

His voice had been as dry as the coffee grounds in the machine.

You nodded, the corners of your mouth quirking up mischievously. "Something like that. What gave it away? The accent? Or the fact that I don't look like I just walked out of a flannel ad?"

🐚 "What, don't they have coffee where you're from?"

🐚 You pretended to read the menu, as if you don't know it by heart by now.

"Here I go, asking you again. Do you have... loukoumades?"

Luke frowned, like you don't ask him the same question at least once a week.

"Is that some kind of latte?"

"No, they're... like donuts. Only better."

"Better than donuts?"

🐚 "Surprise me."

Luke muttered something under his breath about indecisive customers but turned toward the kitchen. You watched him work, gaze flicking between him and the diner around you.

"Are you always this cheerful? Jesus~"

You grinned. "You'll learn to love it."

"Debatable" he said, sliding a plate in front of you -a stack of golden pancakes topped with a pat of butter.

You leaned over the plate, taking a deep breath. "Okay, these smell amazing. You might convert me from loukoumades yet."

"Let me know how that goes" Luke answered, turning back to his work. But there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, just shy of a smile.

🐚 "So, Luke, do all your customers get the same level of sarcastic charm, or am I just lucky?"

"Are you planning on sticking around, or just passing by?"

"It looks like I might stick around."

Luke nodded. "Then, yeah. You're lucky."

🐚 You took a sip of the coffee and grimaced slightly before adding sugar.

"Strong stuff. Do you brew this with jet fuel?"

"Coffee's coffee."

🐚You leaned forward, watching him work, your curiosity uncontainable.

"So, Luke, what's your deal? Do you do the grumpy, charming thing with everyone, or am I special? ...on top of lucky."

"You're special" he replied dryly, flipping a pancake.

You smirked, pleased.

🐚 "What's your story, Mr. Diner King? Always dreamed of flipping pancakes in a flannel paradise?"

Luke sighed, glancing over his shoulder. "Do you always talk this much?"

🐚 "Oh, that's a juicy burger! Thank you, Luke."

The unexpected sincerity caught him off guard.

"It's my job" he muttered, but there was the faintest hint of a smile as he turned back to the counter.

🐚 "Well, welcome to Stars Hollow. Try not to scare the town too much."

🐚"So" you began, sipping your coffee and swinging your legs lightly under the stool, "when are you going to admit you look forward to me coming in?"

"I don't" Luke retorted flatly, but the faintest twitch of his lips betrayed him.

"Oh, come on. Don't lie to me, Luke. You'd miss my sparkling conversation if I didn't show up."

"I miss the quiet" he shot back, wiping down the counter.

🐚 He didn't open the diner. No one expected him to.

But when he heard a soft knock, he opened the door to find you holding a small Tupperware container.

"It's Κόλλυβα" you explained, setting it gently on the table. "We make it to honor the dead. It's... sweet. But solemn."

Luke stared at it. Wheat, raisins, pomegranate, sugar. Old world comfort in a plastic container.

"I figured... you wouldn't want people around. But maybe you wouldn't mind this."

He didn't say anything for a while -just picked up a spoon and took a bite.

Then another.

"Thank you" he finally said, voice rough.

🐚 Taylor had barely started his sentence when you muttered, "Παναγία μου, give me strength."

Luke snorted, trying to hide a grin. "What now?"

"That man is allergic to shutting up."

"Pretty sure that's incurable" he said, crossing his arms.

🐚 "Are you seriously wearing socks with the Greek flag?" Jess asked, leaning against the kitchen counter and raising an eyebrow.

Luke looked down -just a flash of blue and white stripes peeking above his boot.

"No."

Jess smirked. "You are."

"They're... warm. That's all."

Jess didn't press further. But when you walked in with matching mittens, knitted with love, Jess lost it anyway.

🐚 For all his gruffness, there was something endearing about him -the way he quietly remembered your order, the way he always had your mug ready before you even asked. It made you feel at home in a way you hadn't expected.

🐚"So, Luke" you start, resting your chin on your hand, "when are you going to tell me your life story? I feel like I deserve it at this point."

"You don't."

You laugh a little, shaking her head. "You're impossible."

"And you're relentless"

Is that a hint of amusement in his tone?

🐚"See you tomorrow, American dream."

"Yeah, yeah."

But as the door swung shut behind you, he couldn't help but feel like the mornings were a little less dull now.

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Thank you for reading! It wasn't anything too polished, or cohesive, but hopefully you had a good time ♡

My masterlist

Divider by @strangergraphics.

[alrightythenbabe]

To have you in my arms, you are safe.

Pairing: Haleth x fem!reader

Fandom: Lord of the Rings, War of the Rohirrim

Words: idk I’m sorry, this was written in my notes app like a heathen

Warnings: smut right off the bat, unprotected p in v (use protection please), oral f&m receive, violence (battle), fluff, so many pet names bc I’m a romantic at heart, Haleth being in love with his wife aka you, use of y/n, 2nd person pov. If there’s anything else lmk

Summary: A gentle morning between lovers, turned a nighttime for warriors. A lot can happen in a day.

A/N: hello everyone, I noticed there was no fic written from this movie, at least not posted on here so I decided to write my own. I have taken creative liberties. I’m sorry for any mistakes, it is 1am. Please be nice, I haven’t written fic in like 9 years. I hope you enjoy 💜

“G’mornin’ my love.” his drowsy voice says, not yet fully awake. He buries his head in your neck, pressing another kiss there.

“Good morning, my darling.” you reply, rolling over to face his smiling face and resting a hand on his cheek.

“Hello there, beautiful.” He says before pressing a kiss to your lips. You giggle “hello handsome.” Continuously pressing multiple kisses to his face. He laughs as he grabs your face bringing you back to his lips, kisses quickly turning more passionate.

He rolls on top of you, your legs spreading to accommodate his broad form, both still naked from the night before, his lips leaving yours to continue a trail of kisses down your neck to your chest, alternating between your breasts, squeezing them with his hands, rough from the years of using a sword, and flicking your nipples with his tongue, dragging down to your stomach, kissing every scar on your body, loving them as part of you, before pressing a kiss between your hips.

“You’re insatiable.” You say, without protest.

“I will make no apology, I am starting my morning off right. I have a beautiful wife who I plan to make love to as often as possible.” He replies, continuing his movements.

“No complaints from me, darling, continue”

Kissing the curls between your legs, he moves down to where your body has been begging him to be.

“Mmm,” he moans “so pretty.”

You gasp feeling warm lips against your aching clit, then moving to your right thigh simultaneously dragging his tongue and pressing kisses there before kissing your clit once again, lingering longer this time and continuing to do the same to your left thigh.

“Honey,” you whine “please don’t tease”

“Who’s teasing, sweetheart? I’m just worshipping my woman” he continues his agonising torture.

“I need you, baby please” writhing your body.

“I know, my love, I can see, you’re dripping” he runs his tongue from your entrance, tasting your arousal, to your clit, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. He moans.

“The sweetest honey anyone’s ever tasted”

Is all the warning you get before he puts you out of your misery. Mouth attaching to your clit and sucking. You moan in surprise, your back arching off the bed.

The room filling with the sounds of him slurping and sucking at your pussy. His arms wrapped around your thighs keeping you spread open for him, his right arm leaving to wet his fingers with his spit, slowly easing one in and continuing his movements. Your hands fly to his head, one hand wrapped around his long hair pulling at it, your other finding one of the shaved sides, pulling him closer, he groans, loving when you do that.

“Oh my-Haleth! Yes! Please!!” Unable to finish a complete sentence, so overwhelmed with pleasure. You feel him add a second finger, eyes rolling back, your body mindlessly chasing pleasure grinds at his face, your man moaning, grinding at the bed trying to relieve the ache in his hard cock.

“Yesyesyea-ahhhh” you squeal as the coil snaps, pleasure washing over you as your body shakes.

You pull him off you, the pleasure becoming too much, your body twitches as he cheekily kisses your clit once more.

Using the hand still in his hair, you pull him up towards you in a messy make out.

Rolling him over, you kiss down his body tasting every inch, placing kisses on the scars littering his own body from battles past, proof your man survived and he’s here with you.

Running your hands down his form, solid and strong beneath you, you reach your prize. His painfully hard already leaking cock, lowering yourself down you tease him with your breath, he gasps as he feels you press the first kiss at the base, gently running your tongue from base to tip, flicking at the end. A sharp inhale whistles through his teeth, a hand flying to your head, wrapping around your own hair, not enough to hurt, just enough to feel you.

You look up at him through your eyelashes to see him already looking at you through his hooded eyes. Kissing his balls, running your tongue along them to his left thigh nipping at the muscle there and repeating the same to the other. Mimicking the same agonising torture he put you through.

“Sweetheart please,” he pants “you’re teasing”

“Who’s teasing, my love? I’m just worshipping my man.” you say with false innocence, using his previous words against him. He smiles knowing he walked right into that one.

Resting your arms over the tops of his thighs, grasping the base of his cock with your hand, fingers barely meeting each other around the girth. You wet him with your tongue, putting the head of his cock in your mouth and suck. He groans, head falling back meeting his pillow, hand squeezing your hair a bit tighter.

“Just like that baby, you always know what I like.” He says in awe.

You hum around him, swallowing him a bit further keeping your pace, stroking his cock with your dominant hand, your other coming up to squeeze and massage his balls. His moans music to your ears.

Pulling away just enough to dribble spit onto his tip, watching it run down his length, continuing to stroke his cock, you swallow him down again moving faster, needing to pleasure him more than you need to breathe.

“Ah-stop I need to be inside you darling please.” He says desperate and breathless, pulling you off him, you whine missing the taste and weight of him on your tongue.

“And you say I’m insatiable, greedy girl.” He smiles “come here.” He whispers.

Pulling you up towards his face as you straddle him, lips meeting in a messy kiss. His tongue immediately meeting yours with a moan, his hand pulling you as close to him as possible. Using the hand still around his cock, you run the tip through your folds, eager to finally have him inside you.

Slowly easing yourself down with a soft gasp, once fully seated you moan into each other’s mouths, bracing your hands on his chest you begin a slow ride. He runs his hands along your body up to your breasts, squeezing them then running them back down over your waist to rest on your hips, guiding them back and forth, up and down.

“You’re so sexy, my beautiful woman, all mine.” In absolute awe of you, a view he never tires of. His hands moving around to your ass, squeezing, his hips thrusting up to meet yours.

He sits up, arms wrapping around you as yours go around his shoulders holding each other close, kissing and breathing in each others moans. Dragging his lips from your mouth to the side of your neck, he can’t get enough.

Holding you to him he spins so you’re pinned to the bed, gasping as his pace doesn’t falter, he brings your legs up over his shoulders, knowing what you need, he licks his thumb and brings it to your clit rubbing the way you like.

Knowing you’re both close, his thrusts getting more desperate, your moans coming together in a lustful duet. Pulling him to you, your nails scratching down his strong back, your body arching as you let out a scream as you come.

“That’s it baby.” he moans still thrusting as looks at you “so beautiful.”

His last few thrusts losing their rhythm as he comes with a shout. He collapses on top of you, both breathing heavily as you run your hands over his head and back.

“I love you.” He says, placing a kiss to your breast and resting his head there.

“I love you, angel.” You reply, kissing his head.

After bathing together, you both spend the day riding with Háma and your ladies maid, now back in the palace and both getting dressed you hear a knock on your chamber door.

“Enter.” Haleth calls and a young guard you know as Finn enters.

“My Lord, My Lady,” Finn nods “the king has called for an urgent meeting in the hall”

“Did he mention the matter?” Haleth asks.

“Only that it was a matter of importance, Lord Haleth.” He replies, apologetic he doesn’t have more information.

“Very well, thank you Finn. We’ll be there shortly.” Finn bows and leaves the room.

“Fréaláf!” You call, arms wide to welcome him into an embrace, one he gladly accepts with a smile.

“Y/N.” He says lovingly, kissing your cheek. “I trust my cousin is treating you well.”

“Of course, always.” You reply, as Haleth comes and wraps an arm around you.

“That shouldn’t even be questioned, cousin, I am wounded.”

“Well you are a brute, and she is my favourite cousin in-law. But I do trust she’s still the one who runs things.”

“You know it, I do as she says, but tell no one.”

“Your secret is safe with me, cousin.” Fréaláf laughs and the cousins pull each other into a hug as Héra approaches.

“Sister.” She says, giving you a warm embrace you gladly return.

“What is this meeting about? What has happened?” Haleth asks.

Fréaláf sighs “while we were out this morning, we were attacked, and Héra was kidnapped.“

“What?!” You and Haleth both exclaim “were you hurt?” Haleth asks checking her over, noticing the scratch on her cheek.

“I am fine brother, truly” she reassures.

“We were able to get her back, but it was my fault she was taken in the first place.” Fréaláf says.

“It was not your fault, this is not on you.” She says sternly but kindly, putting a hand on his back.

“How can you think that, Fréaláf?” You ask.

“She distracted the Mûmakil, pulled its attention from me and onto her, it chased her into the forest, that’s where they got to her.” Fréaláf says sadly.

“Who got to her?” Haleth says concerned.

“Wulf.”

“He has returned?”

Fréaláf nods “and he’s got an army.”

“The wisest move is to fall back to our strongholds,” Fréaláf says “light the beacons call for aid from Gondor.”

“the wisest move?” Helm replies “you would have me abandon Edoras?”

“Until we are at full strength, yes. This is no rabble of wild men, these men are well trained and well armed.”

Lord Thorne steps forward.

“I pledge 300 Riders to protect the Eastern flank the men of the wall stand ready to fight”

“I accept your pledge. Lord Thorne shall have command of the East I will lead the Vanguard North and meet Wulf on the plains.” Helm commands.

When the meeting is adjourned and most of the men have left, Héra comes up to you and Haleth, face a mixture of sadness, concern and guilt.

“He means to punish in the cruelest way,” she begins “he said he will kill you Y/N and make Haleth watch, then kill Haleth and Háma to torture father, then he would kill father, before he takes the throne.” Héra says, tears in her voice.

“That’s not going to happen, darling, I was swinging a sword before he was born.” You reassure her.

“He won’t fight fair, my love. He’s a coward, he will do it from a safe distance or when we can’t defend ourselves, he knows he’s not the stronger fighter, so he won’t do it hand to hand.”

“Well we keep eyes on each other at all times, watch the high ground, look out for archers especially when we are not surrounded by our own men.” You say.

Haleth sighs.

“What?” You ask.

“I-I do not want you to fight tonight.”

“And what makes you think you have a say in the matter?” You say looking up at him with your arms folded.

“As your husband I want you safe, a threat has been made on your life and I take that very seriously. You will stay back with Héra in the palace. That is final.”

“Is it?” You turn around and storm out of the hall, back to the palace.

Haleth sighs looking down at his feet before turning around and being met with the wide eyes of Fréaláf, Héra and now Háma.

“Oooh brother you’re in trouble.” Háma laughs, Héra and Fréaláf joining in.

“I know, I know.” Haleth says, “I messed up, get out of here you lot.” The three of them still laughing leave Haleth to think about how he’s going to make it up to his wife. He thinks he’ll give you a moment though.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Turning around you see Haleth leaning against the stable door, already donned in his armour, looking handsome as ever.

“Putting my armour on”.

“I can see that, why?”

“There is to be a battle tonight, did you not know?” You reply with a smirk continuing to lace your arm guard.

Haleth can’t help but smile, walking over to you. “Oh is there? First I’ve heard of it, and as a prince of this kingdom that is rather concerning” he jests back, as you smile in return.

He places his hand over yours, stopping your movements and face turning serious.

“My love?” He says, voice softer now, he sighs and gently shakes his head “I’m sorry for what I said, my choice of words was wrong, I just want you safe and I went full ‘what I say goes’ and I’m sorry. It’s just, this one is different, it feels worse. Wulf threatened you by name, a direct threat on your life. I don’t want you on that battlefield, you will be a main target.”

“Haleth, I was a warrior before we met, you may have been able to give me this order 7 years ago that I would have possibly followed with protest, but we went and fell in love, got married, now I give the orders” a slight smile breaks through his otherwise serious expression. “Now? I love Háma and Héra as my own siblings. Helm as my father. And Fréaláf, is more a brother to me than cousin in-law. And you?” You move your hands to his cheeks, pulling him closer “I love you with everything in me I have not the words to describe it, I would do anything to spend one more moment with you. I will fight for our family, this kingdom and its people. Please do not ask me to stay back and be safe in a palace while the people I love put their lives on the line, when their lives were threatened too.”

“I know I just-I want you to be safe, I need you to be safe, I will not survive this world if you are not in it” he closes his eyes as his forehead gently meets yours, arms coming around your waist pulling you close.

“And I will not survive this world if you are not in it.” You reply.

“If anything-“

“Nothing will happen to me, you won’t allow it, nor will I allow anything to happen to you”

He sighs “you’re a difficult, stubborn woman, you know that?” opening his eyes to look at you with a smirk.

“I do.” you smile, eyes meeting his “you love that about me.”

“I do” he sighs again. “You stay by me, I mean it. Stay within my line of sight at all times”

“I can do that”

He nods bringing his head down to kiss you “I love you”

“I love you too” going on the tips of your toes, you kiss him again.

Both pulling away, he grabs your left hand, placing a kiss on the back of it then pulling it down in front of him to continue tying the laces of your leather arm guards.

Coming out holding Haleth’s hand you see the people who mean the most to you, people you would gladly die for if it meant they’d be safe.

Héra hugs her brothers and cousin, wishing them good luck in this fight, Háma gives her his lyre for safe keeping.

“Maybe one day, someone will sing ballads of me.” He says.

“They will, little brother, I am sure of it.” You say. ‘The warrior poet’ they’ll call you, I can see it now. Just you wait.”

He smiles “that sounds nice, sister.”

“We get through tonight, it’ll be a big hit. Be told for centuries to come.”

You walk to Héra, giving her a hug “hold the fort, you stay safe.” You tell her.

“I will, you stay safe as well.”

“Always.”

Moving towards where you see Haleth on top of the Mûmakil trying to take it down, your sword swinging at anyone in your path, having used all of your arrows.

You smile as you see the giant beast fall, Haleth successfully bringing it down. You continue towards him, looking at your surroundings. Your heart stops seeing Wulf’s eyes on your husband and a bow in his hand, your feet are moving before you can think, sprinting towards where your husband stands.

You see Wulf line his arrow towards your love. Picking up speed, if that was even possible, you bring out your shield as you run up the dead body of the mûmakil Haleth stands upon, an arrow is released as you jump with the shield in front of you and the man you are so determined to keep alive. You feel the hit of the arrow as it imbeds itself in your shield. You fall from mid air hitting the mûmakil and rolling down the side, hitting the ground roughly but you quickly get back up, adrenaline still running through your veins, ripping the arrow out of the shield and putting it in your bow, you release it towards Wulf, hitting his left shoulder, hearing him yell and grunt in pain.

You turn around to check on Haleth, seeing him already jumping down and coming towards you, a grabs you and checks you over for injury.

“I am unharmed, I am alright.” You reassure him, he sighs in relief, turning his head towards where Wulf stands and moving you behind him.

Héra, Háma, Fréaláf and Helm all approach, weapons drawn prepared for anything.

“Give me Helm! I will let you all live! I just want him!” Wulf calls out holding his injured shoulder.

“How generous, but no. Enough of this Wulf!” you yell back

“He killed my father, he must pay!”

“In a fair fight, you saw it, Wulf please!” Héra calls.

“I gave you an offer, that is the last you will ever receive.” He says, turns around and walks away. The battle is not over, but it is for tonight.

“He will go and lick his wounds, then he will be back.” You say.

“I have evacuated the city, everyone is headed for The Hornburg.” Héra replies.

“Then The Hornburg we shall go.”

“He will follow us.” Fréaláf adds

“Let him.” Helm returns, “we will be ready, we will have the advantage and he will have to make it through the winter.” He looks to Fréaláf “with Lord Thorne’s betrayal, we will be needing an army.”

“I can get you one.” He nods

“Have them ready, we will send for you when we need you. This winter will be a long hard one, impossible to move through so you will need to leave tonight, take four men with you.”

Fréaláf nods. “Yes, uncle.”

“Send word once you are there, safe. Then get some rest.” You say.

“I will, not to worry.” He smiles, and after saying his goodbyes to you all and promises to send word, he is on his way.

After the long journey taking almost a full day, you have made it to The Hornburg, bathed and dressed and having received word from Fréaláf that he has arrived and is safe, you are in bed with Haleth, finally able to rest. You lay on his chest, he holds you close.

“I almost lost you last night.” You whisper sadly, the fact that Haleth had come so close to death, hitting you.

“But you didn’t, angel, I’m okay.”

“It was too close,” you whisper, pausing for a moment then smirking “and I’ll bet you’re glad I was there.”

He smiles “I knew that was coming.”

“I’m sorry I had to.” You giggle “I’m very partial to this neck of yours, and I prefer your heart beating, I’m just glad you’re here with me, safe.”

“As am I, love.”

Both tired from a long, hard day, sleep comes to you easy and you’ve got your man to keep you warm during the coming long winter, safe with you in your arms.

A/N: thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! 💜 dividers by @firefly-graphics

[airaibunny]

miyeon x reader - “the idea of her” (warnings: fluff, kissing, nudity)

a/n: BLONDE MIYEON APPRECIATION! this is literally an adaptation of a chapter story i had in my notes app😭 i haven’t the slightest clue if miyeon can drive, but pretend she can. i also do not know how gidle’s dorm situation works, once again, just pretend i’m right.

IM SORRY FOR LYING, I KNOW I SAID I WOULD WRITE THE ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ MINA SMUT NEXT, BUT THIS JUST POPPED INTO MY HEAD AND I HAD TO.

anyway, hope you enjoy pooks😭

word count: 1.3k

"y/n."

"y/n!"

"Y/N?!"

you barely register yuqi calling you as you’re zoning out. you’re at a fansign and should be paying attention to the fans, but you just can’t help being completely enraptured with her.

everything from her gorgeous blonde hair to the way her eyes squint when she smiles has you completely smitten. you’ve been in the same group for years and you’ve felt this way from the very beginning. you’re sure nobody can notice how you feel though, or at least you hope so for the sake of your career. if you’re wrong, cho miyeon might be the reason for your untimely expulsion.

"y/n? are you there? we’re leaving." yuqi waves a hand in front of your face and pulls you out of your chair before you can react. you finally notice everyone packing up around you. maybe you zoned out a bit too hard.

"oh, okay." you simply follow yuqi as she pulls your hand and walks you to the car. the entire way there you’re looking around for miyeon, but she’s nowhere to be seen. once you get to the car, yuqi practically throws you inside and you bump into shuhua.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” of course shuhua being shuhua starts yelling and whining at you. “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING, YUQI THREW ME!” shuhua shifts her anger towards yuqi, shouting at her instead.

“oh sorry, i didn’t realize i was in your way, BITCH!" she rubs her arm where you bumped into her and then does the same to you. "you’re the bitch, STOP YELLING!" shuhua stops rubbing your arm and fully turns to the passenger seat where yuqi is. “how the fuck are you going to tell me to stop yelling WHILE YOU’RE YELLING?!”

just as shuhua is finishing her sentence, miyeon gets in the drivers seat of the car.

“oh my god, both of you shut up. i can hear you from outside.”

she isn’t even talking to you, but you halt your breathing unconsciously. fuck, how is she so devine? you’re sitting in the backseat opposite to the drivers seat, so you have a perfect view of her.

“minnie and soyeon are driving back in the other car, does anyone want to switch cars to even it out?”

yuqi immediately storms out of the car and slams the door behind her. shuhua scoffs in response. them arguing is normal, you’re sure they’ll be completely fine as soon as you get home.

“now i feel lonely, someone come sit up here.” shuhua doesn’t react, so you’re guessing she doesn’t want to move. you take advantage of the opportunity and go sit bedside miyeon. she smiles when you sit and your eyes widen, she’s just so incredible.

once you’re on the road, you put headphones in and sneakily stare a miyeon every now and then. a few more minutes into the drive, you feel her hand land on your thigh. you tense at the feeling, but continue facing forward. you all have little to no boundaries with each other, miyeon doing this is not new. nevertheless, her touch quickens your heartbeat immensely.

you fiercely wish you could tell her how you feel. she’s never explicitly told you she doesn’t like girls, so a relationship with her is plausible. be that as it may, you have no clue if she likes you.

you finally arrive at the dorms and follow miyeon around while she grabs things from the trunk and walks upstairs. you practically attach yourself to her every chance you get.

you walk through the front door and flop down on the couch, watching as miyeon walks around trying to tidy things up before bed. you don’t realize that you’re dozing off until someone pats your upper back, softly whispering to you.

“hey, let’s go to bed.”

you slightly open your eyes to see miyeon kneeling in front of your face, smiling at you. you stand and she takes your hand, holding it all the way to her room. you’re hesitant to go in because you don’t normally sleep with miyeon, you share a room with shuhua.

“oh, right. yuqi and shuhua are over their little fight as usual so yuqi went to sleep in your room, they kind of kicked you out.”

“oh.”

you try hiding your excitement as you completely walk into the room. this doesn’t happen often, but you love when it does. you delight in falling asleep next to miyeon, even if she’s in a completely different bed.

“oh shit, i didn’t think to grab your pijamas before they fell asleep. you can just wear mine.”

she picks random clothes from her closet and hands them to you. she also picks some for herself and begins undressing. you get extremely flustered. even after all this time changing together for music shows and photo shoots and whatnot, you still can’t handle seeing her naked. when it’s any of the others, you’re not fazed at all, it’s only her.

she finishes changing and looks your way, rolling her eyes. “change! i don’t want you to fall asleep in those clothes.” she walks outside to do something and leaves you alone in the room. you try changing, but fall back on the bed instead. you’re so tired, you start to doze off again.

you fall asleep and awake a few minutes later to miyeon pulling your shirt off. you nearly die in that instant.

holy fuck.

“i told you to change.”

she completely takes your shirt off and throws it aside, turning back to you. her face is centimeters away from yours. so close that one rough move would make your lips touch.

you feel a sudden rush of adrenaline and lean into her without thinking. you immediately pull back, slapping a hand over your lips.

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to.”

she’s frozen for a few seconds. you curse yourself as you feel tears forming in your eyes. why would you do that? that was so reckless. what if you just ruined your friendship with her?

“miyeon, i’m so sorry.”

she puts a hand on your cheek, bringing you in for a kiss. you swear you can feel every single thing on your mind fade away. the only feeling you’re aware of in this moment is her lips on yours. they’re warm and soft, just like you imagined.

“don’t apologize.”

she whispers against you lips with a smile. you pull her back in, deepening the kiss. you know it’s cliché, but you wish you could stay here forever. you part her lips with your tongue, gently pushing it inside her mouth. she giggles at your excitement, letting you take control of the kiss.

“how long have you been holding that in?”

she taunts as she pulls away, placing her hand on your thigh. “i don’t know.” she chuckles at you. “wanna know how long i’ve been holding it in?” your cheeks redden at her question. she’s liked you this entire time. why didn’t you do something sooner?!

“a very long time.” she leans in for another quick kiss before completely laying down on the bed. “finish changing and come cuddle with me.” you hop up and tear all of your clothes off, putting on your pijamas as quickly as you can.

“you’re so cute.” you hear her remark as you’re struggling to put your shorts on. as soon as you’re done, you jump back into bed, wrapping around her like a sloth. you plant kisses all over her face as she smiles, you just can’t contain yourself. you can’t fathom that she actually likes you. the girl you’ve been completely whipped for all this time actually likes you.

she pushes your hair out of you face, running her fingers through it.

“miyeon?” you ask while looking into her eyes. “yes?” she responds, still playing with your hair. “what are we now?” she kisses you again, bringing you closer to her chest.

“whatever you want us to be, pretty girl.”

[drabbletron]

What's your writing process? I can think of almost exactly what I want to write but then I blank as I try to type it out •́⁠ ⁠ ⁠‿⁠ ⁠,⁠•̀

Also I already have my notifs on for this blog >:)))) tehe

|| This is a long one and it got a little preachy at the end. My bad yall! Enjoy! ||

tl;dr Write badly first, come back and polish it where you can/want. Start in the middle of scenes. Switch mediums often. Be cringe because being happy is better than being perfect. Dull to bright, dark to light, loose to tight.

vvvv full thing below the cut! vvvv

My writing process??

Do it as soon as it's in your brain. Even if it's just a broken sentence with no real structure like "Megatron doesn't like crust on his bread" or something.

Write it down, type it out, strike while the iron is hot! Get that idea out of there and onto something you can work on. It could be paper, in your sketchbook, the back of some scrap paper, in your notes app on your phone, a google doc, notepad, anything where you can come back to it or toss it if it doesn't matter to you.

I tend to type faster than I write, and my phone is always on me. Hell, I used to text myself in facebook messenger all the things I wanted to keep. Once I sent myself a voice recording because I was waiting in my car in a too long drive thru line and I didn't want to not pay attention to what's in front of me.

When you do this, the goal is to not worry about perfection but simply being able to come back to something out of your brain.

It helps to do it with a medium you don't care about because that takes away the pressure of trashing something nice (plenty of people run into this issue and apply too much pressure). I know a lot of folks tend to buy notebooks specifically for writing, but sometimes that can limit you to writing only in that book, and I know some folks might have a hard time even putting something out when that notebook is missing. (This is not a bad thing btw and it does work for some folks, just not for me personally.)

Once I have the idea out of my head, I run with it until I can't anymore. I ignore all the spelling mistakes and the grammatical errors until I run out of steam. From there, I jump to the next thing and forget about the work for a while. I know that it's there, but something else caught my attention and I need to go deal with that, which could be anything from work to a different project or things at home or even friends.

When I do come back to it, it's been long enough that I have fresh eyes and I can see what I'm doing and where I want to go. Not always the last part, but usually the first. I do some clean up and maybe add some more, but I'm not rushing. I'm taking my time and letting things flow. Sometimes I even move the work to a different app or medium like Word or Google Keep.

After that, I just keep hammering away at the work until I like where it's at enough to post. I jump around between editing and adding more and even do it piece by piece. I'll write one story beat at work in my notes and then I'll finish that moment up and toss it into the working project and let it mingle.

It can also be a huge inspo to just talk about your ideas with others. I have a small group of friends that I do this with. We always share what ifs or small hcs and then we take turns building on it to get a soup of sorts. Then we feed that to the single brain cell we share and the words just pour out of us.

If I really want to get in the zone, I snag a big glass of something to drink that tickles my fancy, toss on some wordless music or a small set of songs that fits the vibe (sometimes I use brown noise to calm the bees in my brain), and I jump into the middle of a scene.

Also it helps when you write for yourself. Be self-indulgent in a hidden document somewhere (physical or digital, your choice) and tell yourself it's going to be bad on purpose. No one else is going to see it but you, and you can choose to show others on here or not. You can always make more if it's not to your liking, or you can make more of the exact same thing if you do love it.

Being original is cool, but having fun (especially nowadays) is more important, especially in fandom space.

You may even find that plenty of folks have the same feelings you have and like the same stuff.

It's okay to be bad the first go because you can come back and polish it up later. It's like making pancakes in that way because the first few off the griddle suck and are ugly, but once you get the hang of it, you'll fall into a rhythm and feel more confident.

Thanks for sending this ask and keep going!!! You're gonna get there!

- D. Tron